Barnsley Road Wakefield: High speed police chase as driver races down wrong side of road in stolen Audi

Daniel Pokorny was spotted in a stolen Audi A4 by officers, who began pursuing him down Woodcock Street.

But the 32-year-old ignored their blue lights and sirens, instead continuing down Sparable Lane at speeds of up to 60mph – despite it being a 30mph zone.

Pokorny dramatically overtook a series of cars and failed to slow down for speed bumps, even driving on the wrong side for a stretch of Agbrigg Road.

It was only when he collided with a kerb near The Three Houses pub on Barnsley Road that he lost control and the car came to a stop.

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Pokorny, of Belle Vue Road, Wakefield, admitted a charge of dangerous driving and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court earlier today (June 17).

Prosecuting, Beatrice Allsop said: “An oncoming van had to swerve into the pub’s car park to avoid a collision.”

The court heard that the defendant, along with four passengers, attempted to make a run for it when the car came to a stop.

He already had 17 convictions for 31 previous offences. These, according to the defence, were influenced by drug dependency, which was in turn caused by various bereavements.

The dangerous driving in Wakefield happened more than two years ago, on January 6, 2022, which was taken into account by Judge Alexander Menary when sentencing.

He said: “Officers lay in wait for you, and you set off. What followed was a very bad case of driving, reaching speeds of 60mph all while carrying four passengers.”

He sentenced Pokorny to 12 months’ imprisonment and banned him from driving for three-and-a-half years.