A 21-YEAR-old Bradford man has been jailed for dangerous driving which saw him go down a dual carriageway on the wrong side of the road.

Ayaz Akhtar was banned from driving at the time but was behind the wheel of a VW Golf when he attempted to evade police in a late-night pursuit in August 2021.

Judge Colin Burn described Akhtar’s driving as “an endless series of driving on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of a dual carriageway, pulling out in front a police car causing it to brake, and damaging a police car while trying to evade them".

He sentenced the 21-year-old from Woodroyd Road, Bradford, to ten months in prison and disqualified him from driving for a year upon release.

Judge Burn added: “It’s extraordinary that there wasn’t a catastrophic accident.”

Bradford Crown Court heard how Akhtar was spotted by police in Halifax and it was only because he ran out of petrol that the pursuit ended.

He then climbed into the back of the Golf and tried to tell the police that he had not been driving, despite there being no passengers in the car at the time.

Officers also found a kitchen knife in the centre console of the car, which was confirmed as having Akhtar’s DNA on it.

Akhtar pleaded guilty in May to driving dangerously and possession of a knife.

As well as the jail term and further disqualification, Akhtar must also take an extended retest before he can obtain a driving licence again.

Akhtar’s counsel said his driving was “clearly unacceptable”. He had purchased the vehicle to sell it on, but had ended up driving it himself. The knife was in the car when he bought it, she added.

She also described how Akhtar had now moved out of the area and was no longer associating with a group that had “a negative influence on him”.

The court also heard that the defendant had been subject to an 18-month community order at the time of the offence for the possession of a knife and failing to stop for police.

Judge Burn revoked the community order upon sentencing.

Akhtar was also ordered to pay £332.17 in compensation to cover the cost of damaging the police vehicle.

A forfeiture and destruction order was also made in respect of the knife.

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