Stephen Rieny was jailed after a dangerous police chase in Bradford, driving while banned and causing damage.
He then sped off down Whitehall Road towards Leeds. He had someone else in the car with him. Dashcam footage showed some wild driving. Rieny ran a red light while speeding.
He passed a car on a blind corner. He also overtook about 30 cars stuck at lights. He drove about 60 mph on the wrong side. A van swerved to avoid crashing into him.
Rieny then drove over a traffic island. The junction was really busy. He turned onto a street that was a dead end. Rieny drove the Skoda up a grassy bit.
He hit a concrete post, which stopped everything. Both Rieny and his passenger tried running away. Police caught them right there. This chase happened last month. It was just two days after his court order.
The court order included a driving ban for drug driving. Rieny admitted to dangerous driving in this case. He also admitted damage, driving while banned, and no insurance. The judge learned no drugs appeared linked to this incident.
He stated he wasn’t punishing Rieny for a drug offense. The judge felt it was a bad case overall. Rieny’s lawyer called it a “missed opportunity” for him. His lawyer said he got clean and had stable housing.
The judge sentenced Rieny to 14 months in jail. He also got another driving ban, for over three years. He needs to retake a long driving test.