An uninsured teenager who sped off from the police with two youngsters onboard has been told by a judge to finish his exam work before he gets locked up.

Hamza Shaukat was taking the boys aged ten and 16 to a sports class when he accelerated off in a black Volkswagen Golf, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Shaukat, 18, of Hudson Avenue, Great Horton, Bradford, was doing his A Levels and had a definite university place, his barrister Timothy Jacobs said.

Judge Jonathan Rose said he was impressed by the teenager’s commitment to his studies and his university place but not impressed by the ‘dreadful’ dangerous driving offence.

Prosecutor Lydia Pearce told the court that Shaukat had driven off down Hollybank Road, Great Horton, at 65mph after dodging out of a traffic queue and cutting across the road.

He had gone through a red light and driven at excessive speed along Clayton Road and Scholemoor Avenue before pulling up.

Miss Pearce said the car wasn’t insured for Shaukat to drive and an aggravating factor was that he had the two youngsters in the vehicle with him.

In mitigation, Mr Jacobs said that his client was a sixth form student studying hard for his A-Levels. He was of otherwise good character, with no convictions or cautions, and he had a definite place at the University of Bradford.

He had already been disciplined by his disappointed family who were standing by him and present in court to support him.

Mr Jacobs said Shaukat was driving the youngsters to a sports class but he conceded that the offence could not be excused in any way.

Shaukat pleaded guilty to driving dangerously on September 6 last year while uninsured.

Judge Rose said that only a custodial sentence could be imposed.

“If the blue lights go on, you stop, particularly if you’re carrying a ten-year-old child in the back,” he said.

He adjourned sentence until July 15 when Shaukat will have finished his A-Level college work.

He warned him to turn up in court ‘ready to go to prison.’ Shaukat had his bail enlarged to that date and the court was told that an interim driving ban was already in place.

Judge Rose said that Shaukat would still go to university as long as he made sure he attended court the next time.