Teenager endangered the lives of his four passengers during dangerous police chase through Kirkstall

Leeds Crown Court heard Kaleb Prole mounted pavements, drove across a field and drove in the wrong direction on Kirkstall Road during the incident.

Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, said police officers received reports of a stolen vehicle in the Kirkstall area in the early hours of January 12 last year.

The officers saw a car with five people inside being driven on Butcher Hill shortly before 1am.

The officers turned around and followed the car before signalling for the driver to pull over.

Prole instead accelerated away and drove into a housing estate.

He mounted the pavement then drove across a field onto Spen Lane.

The officers followed as Prole reached 70mph in 30mph areas.

Ms Pearson said Prole then drove onto Kirkstall Road in the wrong carriageway.

Two oncoming vehicles had to take evasive action to avoid a head-on collision.

The 19-year-old defendant drove back into a housing estate but was boxed in by police cars and was forced to stop.

The four other occupants of the car ran off and Prole was arrested from the vehicle.

Prole, of Cragside Place, Hawksworth, was interviewed and told the officers he had agreed to drive the car after being encouraged by others.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Ian Hudson, mitigating, said Prole pleaded guilty to the offence at an early stage, was aged 18 at the time and has no previous convictions.

Prole was given a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months.

He was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Judge Christopher Batty said: "One of you could have been killed if things had gone wrong that night as you travelled at those speeds.

"If not, you could have killed someone else.