A police helicopter tracked down two men driving a stolen car as it hurtled into head-on traffic on the M1.
The car was being driven by 29-year-old Bradley Cunningham, who had his passenger, Thomas Compston, 20, in the car with him. Leeds Crown Court heard on Wednesday how the Seat Leon had been taken in a burglary in Rothwell between July 2 and July 3 last year and was then spotted as it made its way through West Yorkshire by police.
Prosecutor Tom Jackson told the court that officers spotted the fake registration plate on the car on July 7 and decided to pursue. He said: "Marked vehicles turned up to help and it then accelerated sharply and travelled at 84mph in a 40mph zone. It drove through red lights at 70mph and drove at 98mph in a 40mph zone when approaching Junction 45 on the M1.
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"While being followed it drove the wrong way around a roundabout and proceeded to drive around the fuel station at Skelton Lane services at 45mph."
The car then made its way onto the M1 where it drove the wrong way onto a slip road. A police car made an attempt to stop the Seat Leon by crashing into it, but it continued driving into oncoming traffic and onto the M1 and then towards Leeds city centre, prompting officers to ask for help from the National Police Air Service.
Mr Jackson said the car was abandoned on Copperfield Road and the men were seen "running into a house." He said: "Police surrounded and they were eventually detained. Footage provided by the police helicopter identified Bradley Cunningham as the driver."
The court heard Cunningham also fell to be sentenced for an offence of handling stolen goods, after a car stolen in a burglary was found outside his home on June 25. Mr Jackson said Cunningham, of Monks Wood Hill, had been released from prison days before on June 18.
He said officers attended his address to see if he was complying with his curfew and came across the car. "They noticed the registration [of the car] had been altered using black tape. His DNA had been left on a straw on a cup in the front of the car. They recovered the spare key for the stolen car from the original owner and unlocked it - the two cars were one and the same."
The court heard that days later on June 27 at around 2am in Knightscroft Avenue a burglary occurred and wallets, cash and car keys to a Ford car were stolen. Mr Jackson said: "CCTV showed three men walking in the street in the direction of the address. At around 2am, two of them had gone near another property and tried to force open the door using their hands. The CCTV then showed the stolen car being driven away. They [Cunningham and Compston] were identified from it."
Compston, of Heights Way in Leeds, also fell to be sentenced for criminal damage for an incident in February last year where he smashed a woman's windscreen with a baseball bat. John Batchelor, mitigating, said Compston was in drink at the time.
He added that Compston had pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling, theft of a car, attempted burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage at a plea, trial and preparation hearing in August last year. The court heard he had five previous convictions. Mr Batchelor said he has been in custody since, having been recalled on licence, and claims he did not know the Seat Leon was stolen when he got into it.
The court heard Cunningham pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking at an earlier hearing and then burglary and attempted burglary on April 19 - the day of trial. It was said he had convictions for 35 previous offences. Mitigating, Steven Nikolich said the burglary in Knightscroft Avenue showed "relatively little intrusion" and the burglars had got in via an unsecured window.
In relation to the dangerous driving matter, Mr Nikolich said: "No injuries were caused to a member of the public and no damage to any other vehicle or property belonging to the public or highways except the police vehicle that put itself in the way. Since 2014 he has been in and out of custody and every time he comes out he reoffends on his licence. He has spent the best part of seven years in prison.
"He's got a ten-year-old son he has hardly seen. His partner has stood by him and his mum."
Mr Nikolich said psychiatric reports suggest Cunningham has developed schizophrenia and needs treatment, which is not possible in a custodial setting. He said: "The mental health teams in prison are doing their best but they are abysmal - which is down to a funding issue and that will continue to suffer. He was stabbed in his abdomen area in custody in an attack in January this year and underwent an operation and is waiting for a follow up operation."
Recorder Anesh Pema jailed Cunningham for five years and Compston for two years and eight months. He told them they would both serve half of their sentences in custody before being released on licence.
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