A young driver who was involved in two police pursuits in the space of 11 days has been locked up for 28 months by a judge.

A court heard today that Stephen Stratton was still only 19 when he drove a stolen FordEco Sport and a motorbike dangerously on roads in Bradford and Leeds during two separate pursuits earlier this year.

At the time of the offences in April and May, Stratton was already subject to two suspended sentences for similar offending and one of those suspended sentences had only been imposed at Leeds Crown Court in January.

Prosecutor Lydia Pearce told Bradford Crown Court that the FordEco Sport had been stolen from a property in the early hours of April 19 and three days later Stratton was driving it on “cloned” plates in the Killingbeck area of Leeds.

She said said Stratton drove off at speeds of over 100mph along York Road and was still doing 99mph in a 40mph zone.

Stratton drove down a dedicated bus lane and mounted a pavement for 100 yards before ignoring a ‘no entry’ sign and driving over a grass verge.

Miss Pearce said the vehicle demolished a bollard as Stratton drove onto Magnolia Road and officers in another police car feared they would be seriously injured as they accelerated to get out of the way.

The damaged car was abandoned by its three occupants and Stratton was arrested hiding behind some garages.

Stratton, of Thorn Mount, Gipton, Leeds, was identified by police officers as being the driver of the FordEco, but just 11 days later he was back on the streets this time riding a motorbike on Shipley Airedale Road in Bradford with a pillion passenger on the back.

Miss Pearce said when officers in a marked police car tried to stop the motorbike, Stratton went onto the wrong side of the three-lane stretch of road towards oncoming vehicles.

She described how at one point the pillion passenger turned round with a phone in his hand and appeared to be filming the pursuit.

The police helicopter became involved and the motorbike was tracked until it was abandoned in the Barkerend Road area.

Both men were arrested and it was discovered that the motorbike was bearing false plates and its vehicle identification number had been scratched off.

Stratton, now 20, pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

His barrister Victoria Smith-Smith said there was a clear relationship between Stratton’s immaturity and his offending behaviour.

She explained that he had suffered family bereavements and he had allowed himself to be influenced by older males to get involved in criminality.

Miss Smith-Swain said he had experienced his first taste of custody since being remanded in June and it had been a sharp shock to the system.

She said a letter he had written demonstrated his genuine remorse and shame for his behaviour.

Judge Ahmed Nadim activated three months from the suspended sentence imposed in January and added a further 25 months for the latest offending in April and May.

Stratton was also banned from driving again for a total of 44 months and he must pass an extended re-test before lawfully driving on the roads again.

“You are still a young man and a I hope the letter you have written to me is written from your heart and you are genuine and sincere about the resolve that you indicate,” said Judge Nadim.

He said it would be a tragedy if Stratton spent “the best years of his life” appearing before the courts and in a prison setting.