A MAN has been jailed for 12 months for subjecting a terrified motorist to “a prolonged and appalling” road rage pursuit.

Paul Farquharson ran after his victim, tried to run him off the road and pursued him to Keighley Police Station, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Farquharson, 56, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in his grey Citroen C4 on the Aire Valley trunk road between Cross Hills and Keighley on March 13 last year.

Prosecutor David Bentley said the victim was driving his Skoda along Station Road towards the Kildwick roundabout at 8.48am when Farquharson cut in front of him into a small gap in the traffic.

When the man mouthed “what are you doing?” Farquharson opened his car door. His demeanour was aggressive, and the man tried to pull round his vehicle to escape, Mr Bentley said.

He then reversed to get away, turning on to the forecourt at the Co-op petrol station only to see Farquharson pursuing him on foot. The man drove off down Skipton Road, returning when he thought the Citroen would have gone, but it reappeared at the roundabout, veering towards the victim’s car and driving alongside him on the trunk road towards Keighley.

Farquharson, formerly of Millfield Close, Chichester, now of no fixed address in the Bradford area, chased after him in his vehicle, pulling directly in front of him and forcing other vehicles to stop on the 70mph road.

“It may well have been catastrophic for the victim and the defendant,” Mr Bentley said.

Farquharson then drove side by side with an Audi A3 up the trunk road, apparently acting together with the driver to stop the Skoda getting past.

The victim turned left to Keighley Police Station where Farquharson pursued him, getting out of his car, shouting that he had hit his car, and trying the door on his vehicle.

When a patrol car pulled up, Farquharson went into the police station.

The victim was left panicked, shocked and distressed, the court heard.

Farquharson had seven convictions for 12 offences including affray, wounding, assault and driving while disqualified.

Samreen Akhtar, his barrister, conceded that it was “a full-on period of bad driving.”

Farquharson, an unemployed IT technician, now realised it was wrong and that it was fortunate no one was injured.

He believed the victim had collided with his vehicle but agreed that he cut in front of him.

Judge Jonathan Rose banned Farquharson from driving for three years and until he takes an extended test.