Career criminal crashed through barriers of Wakefield shopping centre during drunken police chase

Jason Senior was out of jail on licence when he put the lives of his passengers and other road users in danger during the incident.

Leeds Crown Court heard Senior drove a car which was fitted with false number plates on the A650 Bradford Road, Wakefield, on June 5 this year.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, said Senior and his friends were in the vehicle drinking cider during the journey.

An officer in an unmarked police car saw Senior carry out a dangerous manoeuvre at 10.20pm.

Mr Sharp said the officer was waiting at a red light when Senior drove up behind him, overtook a line of traffic on the wrong side of the road and continued driving.

The officer followed Senior after he went through the red light and watched the defendant drive at 60mph in a 40mph area.

Senior continued to drive erratically and kept braking sharply.

He struck the kerb before tailgating another vehicle in front of him.

The prosecutor said the officer did not put on blue lights and sirens as he feared it would lead to Senior putting more people in danger.

The defendant continued to drive at speed in residential areas and undertook another car on a pedestrian crossing.

Mr Sharp said the officer then decided he had to try to get the car to stop and put on the blue lights.

Senior went through three more red lights near Wakefield city centre then crashed through a barrier into the car park of the Trinity Walk Centre.

He drove around the car park trying to find an exit but got out of the vehicle when he realise there was no other way out.

Senior smelled strongly of alcohol and the car was littered with empty bottles of cider.

The officer approached him and asked if he had been drinking.

Senior replied: "Yes that is why I did it."

He was taken to a police station where he was found to be one-and-a-half times over the drink drive limit.

Senior, of Raynville Crescent in Bramley, Leeds, gave the police a false name and date of birth.

His identity was revealed after his fingerprints were taken.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drink driving, driving while disqualified, having no insurance, failing to stop and obstructing a police officer.

Senior was described as a 'committed criminal' by a judge who jailed him for eight years in 2017 for burglary and robbery offences in Leeds.

The 36-year-old was released on licence from that sentence in December last year but was recalled to prison after his arrest last month.

Tony Sugare, mitigating, said Senior accepted responsibility for his actions and pleaded guilty at an early stage.

Senior was given a 12-month prison sentence and was banned from driving for 29 months

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said: "It is only sheer good fortune that when you crossed that junction through the red traffic lights there wasn't anyone coming from the your right or left.

"One can only imagine what could have happened had there been a collision.

"There is only one sentence and that is a custodial one, I'm afraid. You are quite used to that."