A JUDGE has jailed a dangerous driver who led police on a high-speed pursuit through residential streets before crashing into a telegraph pole.

Sufyan Ferman fled the scene leaving an injured female passenger behind but was caught when he ran into a sealed-off doorway.

Prosecutor Lauren Smith told Bradford Crown Court how at 2.55am on May 7 this year police on patrol in Halifax pulled alongside a Vauxhall Zafira that was insured to an address in Newcastle.

Ferman was at the wheel and a woman was in the front passenger street.

He ignored an instruction to stop and instead sped off, reaching speeds of 70mph over the following six minutes in streets with a 20mph limit.

He ran a red light, skidded around numerous bends in residential streets, and narrowly missed a pedestrian as she crossed Hopwood Lane.

Ferman came to a stop after skidding around a tight bend at the junction of Boyne Street and hitting a telegraph pole that left the car’s bonnet crumpled and airbags deployed.

Both he and his passenger got out but whilst the woman, who had suffered a minor injury to her neck, waited at the scene Ferman ran off.

He was caught and arrested after a brief chase on foot that ended in a door entrance that was blocked off.

He was found to have no licence and consequently was also uninsured. In an interview, he answered “no comment” to all questions asked.

He was also found to be in breach of a 12-month community order for an offence of breaching a non-molestation order and had previous motoring offences on his record including drink-driving.

Ferman, 32, of College Street, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield, later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence, and having no insurance.

Mitigating, John Batchelor said Ferman admitted drinking and driving his friend’s car, which had been lent to him at the time. He said he could not remember the name of the female friend who was in the car with him on the night.

He also accepted that it was “a sustained example” of dangerous driving.

Mr Batchelor said Ferman had driven away from the police because he had “panicked”.

Sentencing Ferman, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, to 12 months in prison for dangerous driving Her Honour Judge Sophie McKone said it was only through “sheer luck” that nobody was seriously injured or killed as a result of his attempts to evade the police.

She said the sentence could not be suspended due to Ferman’s previous motoring convictions and the nature of his driving on the night.

He was also disqualified from driving for 18 months plus a further two months, which is half of his custodial sentence, making two years in total. His licence will also be endorsed.

He will have to pass an extended driving test before he gets behind the wheel again.