Driver chased by police had 15-year-old girl in the car

Ahmed Leghari has been jailed for more than seven years for sexual activity with an underage girl.

The 21-year-old was caught after driving through the city at speeds of up to 70mph on March 26 this year, when officers tried to pull him over in Shipley.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Leghari refused to stop, and continued to drive the Citroen C4 at dangerous speeds towards Fagley, before abandoning the car in some fields.

A helicopter search was carried out byt the National Police Air Service (NPAS) to track down Leghari, who was eventually located nearby in Thornbury with the 15-year-old girl who had been a passenger in his car.

Speaking after sentencing, Stuart Lyons, of West Yorkshire Police's CSE Investigation Team, said: “This case highlights some excellent collaboration between police officers and NPAS, who worked together to quickly locate Leghari after he dumped the vehicle.

“Child sexual exploitation and dangerous driving are matters which are taken very seriously and we hope the public of Bradford will feel safer knowing that this offender is going to be behind bars for a few years.”