A motorist told police he was “a d***head” after he was involved in a police chase in Huddersfield.

Officers tried to stop Joshua Quick after he was spotted in a borrowed VW Golf in the early hours of April 2.

Ashleigh Metcalfe, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday (Friday) Quick drove on through a red light in Newsome Road. He turned into Church Lane and then Towngate reaching 47mph in residential streets.

By Castle Avenue he was doing 60mph and after driving in Edale Avenue returned for another loop of Newsome Road and Church Lane, going through another red light.

Miss Metcalfe said for most of the journey Quick had no lights on. In Jackroyd Lane he drove on the wrong side of the road and the pursuing officers said it was only luck nothing was coming when he did the same at a blind corner.

At one point he mounted the pavement to overtake another car and reached 60mph in Hey Lane and Honley Road before he finally pulled up after a chase lasting eight minutes.

When he was arrested he said: “I know I’m a d***head. It was dangerous, sorry.”

Kenton Sargeant representing Quick, said he had not been able to watch the police recording of the chase he was so ashamed.

He added: “He accepts his driving was appalling.”

He said Quick was at a low ebb and was driving to a takeaway in a car borrowed from a friend who thought Quick had a full licence when in fact he was only a provisional licence holder.

Quick told a probation officer he realised he had been immature and regretted his actions. He was desperate not to be separated from his girlfriend and young child and also provided considerable support for his mother. He also had a job working for a landscape gardener.

Quick, 20 of Netherton Lane, Netherton, admitted dangerous driving, having no full licence and no insurance and was sentenced to 15 months in prison suspended for 18 months with 15 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Recorder Simon Kealey QC told him the offences were serious and he had come very close to being locked up immediately.

He said it was only his personal mitigation in the report from the probation officer that had persuaded him to pull back from that.