A DRINK-driver who said he could not remember being involved in a high-speed police chase has been jailed for more than a year.

Prosecutor Emily Thorbjornsen told Bradford Crown Court that Aamir Hussain appeared to be hallucinating and spoke of “demons” when he was caught.

The court heard that 43-year-old Hussain was seen by police driving without lights on Shipley Airedale Road at 12.45am on August 18 last year.

Officers drove at 85mph to catch up with Hussain, who was driving a green Audi A3 at a similar speed in a 40mph zone. They sounded their siren and illuminated blue lights to pull him over, which caused Hussain to stop abruptly near Canal Road making the police car brake sharply to avoid a collision.

Hussain then reversed around the patrol car and drove over a traffic island, which caused one of his tyres to deflate. He then drove at 60mph in a 30mph zone, setting off a speed camera and jumping a red light.

At one point a large chunk of rubber came away from his offside tyre and smoke could be seen coming off the wheel.

Hussain then drove along Woodhead Road into a heavily populated residential area and turned into a backstreet. He stopped the Audi and ran off but was caught and restrained after a struggle, commenting: “Okay, you’ve got me.”

In the police car, he became very irate and appeared to be having hallucinations as he talked of “demons”, prompting officers to ask if he was on drugs.

He admitted he had been drinking and consequently failed a roadside breath test with a reading of 52mg in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35.

A search of his car revealed four empty vodka bottles.

In an interview with police Hussain, of Grange Park Drive, Cottingley, recalled driving during the day, picking up his friend, and going drinking.

But he had drunk so much that he could not recall driving dangerously in the evening, being pursued or failing to stop but did recall being arrested. He accepted driving whilst intoxicated.

He later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, and drink driving.

Mitigating, Camille Morland said Hussain had had longstanding issues with his mental health as well as addiction to illegal drugs and he had self-medicated with alcohol.

She said much of his behaviour was tied to “unresolved issues from childhood” and that he was receiving medication for depression.

Sentencing Hussain to 14 months imprisonment Mr Recorder Simon Kealey KC said it was aggravated by previous convictions, which included drink-driving and drug driving.

He said: “You undoubtedly have had a very troubled past and are still coming to terms with that.

You have begun to change your life, but this offence demonstrates that there is still quite a long way to go.

“This was a persistent, deliberate course of driving involving highly dangerous manoeuvres. Your driving was highly impaired by the consumption of alcohol. It was committed in the course of evading the police and you drove at speed significantly in excess of the speed limit.”

Hussain was also banned from driving for three years and three months.