Deviant Leeds driver with lengthy record jailed for running red light
Driver handed jail term for simple motoring misdemeanour as courts lose patience.
A motorist who refuses to adhere to his driving bans has been jailed - for ignoring a red traffic light.
For what would usually attract a £100 fine and three penalty points became custody for Craig McIntosh due to his appalling record.
The 33-year-old had been in a blue Vauxhall Astra on the A58 in Leeds on October 3 last year when he ignored the sign to stop.
A notice of intended prosecution was sent to him, but it soon became apparent he was already on a ban, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Danielle Beaumont said McIntosh has 14 previous convictions for 21 offences.
He was banned from driving for 19 months in April 2024.
Reports suggest he was jailed for jailed in June 2024 in Nottingham for dangerous driving after trying to flee police.
McIntosh, of Leasowe Garth, Hunslet, was then given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, for dangerous driving in September of last year.
He was jailed again in February this year for theft.
He appeared in court for the red-light misdemeanour over a video link from HMP Hull.
He admitted failing to comply with a traffic signal, driving while banned and driving without insurance.
Mitigating, Thomas Harris said McIntosh had been honest with police during his interview.
He described the red-light breach as “relatively unserious” but said he had been using his time well while in prison.
The judge, Recorder Craig Hassall KC, told McIntosh that he had a “poor record of compliance”.
He jailed him for two months, and activated 11 months of an existing suspended sentence, making a total of 13 months’ jail.