Trainee pilot in high-speed police chase through Leeds

A court heard Petrol station manager Shahid Nazir, 27, was close to being a fully qualified pilot when carried out the “appalling” piece of driving.

Nazir’s passenger was so frightened that he would be killed that he pulled the handbrake and jumped from the vehicle.

The court heard it is was still a “mystery” as to why Nazir behaved the way he did as he had failed to provide an explanation to the court or his lawyer.

The incident happened after Nazir travelled as a passenger in his friend’s car to Huddersfield and was dropped off outside a house.

Nazir went into the property while his friend waited outside.

Nazir returned 10 minutes later and was panicking. He said to his friend “we have got to get out of here” before he got behind the wheel of the vehicle and drove along back roads until he got to Leeds.

Nazir was then followed by police officers in Roundhay shortly before midnight on September 23 last year when they became suspicious at the way he was driving.

Nazir then sped off and reached speeds of up to 80mph during a 25 minute pursuit through the streets of Leeds.

A number of police cars and the West Yorkshire helicopter were involved in the incident.

Nazir’s friend was so afraid he would die that he pulled the handbrake as the car approached a roundabout near Leeds Grammar School.

He jumped from the car and suffered cuts to his hands.

Nazir managed to avoid police when he drove to nightclub in Bradford. He ran inside and managed to get rid of his jacket.

He was eventually traced to the club and the jacket was found inside the premises along with the car key.

Nazir, of Victor Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The court heard Nazir, who is the manager of two BP garages, lived with his parents. He had spent around £11,000 in a bid to obtain his pilot’s licence but had ruined his chance as a result of the conviction.

Kate Bisset, mitigating, said Nazir could not explain why he had carried out the offence.

She said: “He knows he has only himself to blame. It was a dream of his which he thrown away and he has thrown away a great deal of financial and emotional expense.”

Nazir was given an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and disqualified from driving for two years.

He was also ordered to do 250 hours unpaid work and pay £800 compensation to his friend.

Recorder Nigel Sangster, QC, said: “This was an appalling piece of driving as you well know.

“For some reason you have never told anybody what the reason was for driving away.”