A CONVICTED armed car-jacker had jumped bail and was on the run when he drove over Bradford's City Park during a high speed police chase, a court heard.

Zulfiqar Shaffi (pictured) was on prison licence after serving half of a ten year jail sentence for a terrifying series of gunpoint robberies on women in Bradford in April 2005.

Shaffi, 39, was a crack cocaine addict when he was jailed for life at Bradford Crown Court in September 2005, after he pleading guilty to attempted robbery, robbery, carrying an imitation firearm and handling a set of car keys taken in an earlier armed robbery.

That sentence was overturned by the Court of Appeal in March 2006 and cut to ten years.

Shaffi, of Upper Woodlands Road, Girlington, Bradford, was still on prison licence on June 3 this year when he threatened a BT engineer in a road rage incident when he armed himself with a steering wheel lock.

Prosecutor John Topham told Bradford Crown Court today that Shaffi followed Simon Thornton from Girlington Road.

He took the lock from his car boot in Whetley Lane but thought the better of it and put it away.

He then pulled in front of Mr Thornton's van and threw a punch at him.

Passing police officers saw the men scuffling in the road and Shaffi was arrested.

He pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour and possession of an offensive weapon but failed to turn up for sentence and magistrates issued a warrant.

While at large, Shaffi took a Vauxhall Corsa from the forecourt of a car wash in Thornton Road, Bradford, on November 22 and drove dangerously across the middle of the city.

He jumped red lights, mounted the kerb, broke the speed limit and drove across the pedestrianised City Park on a Saturday afternoon.

Shaffi pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and driving without insurance and was remanded in custody.

In mitigation, his barrister, Claire Larton, said he had kept out of trouble for almost four years while out on licence.

He had tried to put his past behind him by moving to Scunthorpe with his parents and disabled brother.

But he began taking Class A drugs again after moving back to Bradford and that led to him reoffending.

Shaffi, who appeared from the cells in handcuffs, was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and banned from driving for three years.

Judge Neil Davey QC was told that his earliest release date after he was recalled on licence was in September next year.