A COMPUTER games designer has been jailed for ten months for leading the police on a prolonged high speed car chase across Bradford with sparks flying from his vehicle.

Bradford’s top judge told Khalid Betraoui he had “broken every rule in The Highway Code” and there would be public outrage if he wasn’t locked up.

Betraoui, 31, of Paddock, Frizinghall, Bradford, told the police he put his foot down because he was “spooked” when they ordered him to stop on Harewood Street just before 4am on May 30.

When the blue lights came on, he sped off in a silver Ford Focus, causing sparks to fly from the front wheel, prosecutor Paul Nicholson told Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

Betraoui ran several red lights, cut down a dirt track and hit speeds of 70mph during the pursuit.

The route of the pursuit took in roads including Hamm Strasse, Valley Road, Queens Road, Whetley Lane and Thornton Road.

He went over speed bumps at 63mph and along numerous back alleys in a determined bid to shake off the police.

Specialist pursuit officers took over the chase that ended when Betraoui stopped on Lingwood Road.

The car was being driven on false number plates but the Crown accepted that the defendant was not aware of that.

Betraoui told the police in interview: “I saw your colleague, it spooked me.”

He had previous convictions for drink driving, driving while disqualified and possession of drugs, Mr Nicholson said.

Simon Hustler, solicitor advocate for the defence, said his client was out at that time because he had broken his fast for Ramadan.

Betraoui was a computer graduate with a job designing learning aids software for schoolchildren.

As well as supporting his wife and child, he helped to care for his mother and siblings.

“He provides for his extended family and is engaged in socially responsible employment,” Mr Hustler said.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, said that over the past ten years, Betraoui had done everything he possibly could to better himself.

But that night he had ignored the police’s blue light signal to stop.

“There was a truly appalling, atrocious and prolonged pursuit in which a specialist team had to take over.

“Every rule in The Highway Code was broken,” Judge Durham Hall said.

There was clear community impact evidence in Bradford that showed the gravity of the problem of dangerous driving in the city.

“The message has to go out because it is not being heard clearly,” the judge said.

Jailing Betraoui, he told him: “I cannot suspend it, that would cause outrage.”

Betraoui was banned from driving for two years and five months.