AN UNINSURED driver has been jailed for causing a three vehicle smash while high on amphetamine.

Mohammed Ishtiaq Sharif, 46, led police on a high speed chase around Bradford before crashing his VW Polo while jumping a red light.

Sharif, of Cambridge Street, Great Horton, Bradford, had a string of convictions for motoring offences, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

He was imprisoned for nine months by Recorder David Ake who told him: "It is lucky that nobody was injured or killed by your driving that night. It was disgraceful."

The court was told that Sharif was spotted at the wheel of the uninsured car at 11.05pm on April 19 last year.

He sped off along Great Horton Road and was pursued at double the speed limit along roads including Beckside Road, Spencer Road, Farnham Road, Laisteridge Lane and Hudson Avenue.

He drove dangerously along back roads, over speed bumps and through a housing estate.

Sharif failed to stop at a red light at the junction of Cross Lane and Great Horton Road. He span the car and hit an Audi crossing the junction on the green light. A stationary Peugeot waiting at the junction was also damaged.

Four people in the two cars suffered slight injuries and both Sharif's car and the Audi were badly damaged.

Tests on Sharif after his arrest revealed a high concentration of amphetamine, the court heard.

Sharif pleaded guilty at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court to dangerous driving and having no licence or vehicle insurance.

He was found guilty after a trial of driving while unfit through drugs and committed to the crown court for sentence.

His previous convictions for motoring offences stretched back to 1995 and included driving while uninsured, repeated offences of driving while disqualified and driving with excess alcohol. He also had a conviction for possession of amphetamine.

Sharif's solicitor advocate, Ashok Khullar, said this was his client's first conviction for driving dangerously.

He knew he should not have been at the wheel that night and panicked when he saw the police.

Sharif was facing the prospect of his first significant jail sentence. He was a middle aged man not in the best of health.

Recorder Ake banned Sharif from driving for three years and told him he would have to take an extended driving test if he wanted to get behind the wheel.