A Sheffield dangerous driver has been jailed after he crashed a woman's car during a police pursuit

Stefan Zurek, aged 21, was pursued by police after he took a woman security guard’s Ford Fiesta which had been parked on Holly Street, behind Sheffield City Hall, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

Prosecuting barrister Kevin Jones told the hearing on August 10: “She was made aware her car was being driven off and she panicked and ran in the given direction that she was told the car was heading. She fell over and grazed her knee and told police the car was taken.”

Mr Jones said police spotted the damaged Ford Fiesta on London Road about 20 minutes later with no lights on heading towards St Mary’s Gate.

Zurek, of St Barnabas Road, Highfield, Sheffield, turned right and travelled on the wrong side of the dual carriageway, according to Mr Jones, before going the wrong way around a roundabout at Bramall Lane.

Mr Jones said Zurek went to Bramall Lane and Rowland Road and took the wrong side of the road to Alderson Road weaving between traffic at 40mph in a 20mph zone before returning to London Road and heading back on the wrong side of the road to the city centre.

Zurek turned to Hill Street in front of a bus and hit a kerb, according to Mr Jones, and mounted a pavement before colliding with a parked vehicle and becoming wedged.

The defendant pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without insurance and a licence, and failing to provide drink-drive and drug-swipe samples after the incident on June 5.

Zurek also admitted sending a malicious communication after he had threatened a work agency manager over the phone during a pay dispute on May 7.

Chris Aspinall, defending, said Zurek is on medication and he has struggled with accommodation and has spent two-months remanded in custody.

Recorder Anthony Hawks told Zurek: “You decided on June 5 to take a lady’s car and engage in a piece of extremely bad driving which could have killed you or could have killed somebody else.”

He sentenced Zurek to nine months of custody and banned him from driving for 14 months.