A bag snatcher's getaway was foiled by a never-say-die copper, who used a taxi to get his man.

A Court heard how desperate Arfan Iqbal had already been chased through the streets by passer-by Roseann Farmery after she heard a woman's screams for help in Keighley town centre.

But when PC Graham Jessop took over the hot pursuit from her, Iqbal tried to make his escape by jumping in a cab.

As the taxi drove off towards Bradford, the determined PC got into a cab himself and told the driver to take up the chase.

Prosecutor John Topham told Bradford Crown Court yesterday that Iqbal's taxi was forced to stop because of traffic at the nearby B&Q roundabout and that gave PC Jessop the chance to run up to the vehicle and nab him.

"The defendant locked the door, but the taxi driver opened it and the policeman was able to get in and pull Iqbal out," said Mr Topham.

The court heard that Shafait Suleman's friend had withdrawn £750 from the Bradford and Bingley branch in Bow Street shortly before the snatch in April and then asked her to take it home while she went shopping.

Mr Topham said that fortunately the money was found in the taxi with Iqbal, and the cabbie also handed back the £20 he had been given by him.

Former drug addict Iqbal, of Main Street, Sutton-in-Craven, was yesterday jailed for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to the theft.

The court heard that he was hard-up at the time and had been in the Bradford and Bingley branch selecting a likely victim.

Iqbal's barrister, Sukhbir Bassra, said the 21-year-old had rid himself of the drug habit after his girlfriend became pregnant.

The Honourable Mr Justice Henriques described the chase as something which belonged in a B-movie.

He told Iqbal: "Members of the public must know that they can draw money from their bank, building society or cash machine in safety and those who pursue them after they have withdrawn money, must expect custodial sentences."

He added: "I accept that you only looked for a victim over a five-minute period. You were frank with police and this was a snatch, not a robbery."

The judge said both PC Jessop and Roseann Farmery were to be highly commended for their brave actions.