A JUDGE told a driver who raced another driver at speed through York with an imitation gun and ammunition in his car to “grow up a bit”.

Mohammed MacMour, 23, overtook a police car in his Mercedes and accelerated away, driving on the wrong side of the road, passing five Keep Left bollards on the right hand side as he raced a friend’s BMW down the 30 mph stretch of Tadcaster Road near York Racecourse, Nick Adlington said in prosecution.

When the officers pulled them over, they found a loaded imitation pistol hanging on the back of a seat in such a position that MacMour could easily get it and blank ammo in the glove compartment.

“Grow up a bit, stop behaving in such a silly way, put this behind you and get on with the rest of your life,” Recorder Richard Wright QC told him.

He gave him a community order with 180 hours’ unpaid work and ordered him to pay £500 prosecution costs. He also gave him a 12-month driving ban and ordered to take an extended driving tests.

MacMour, of Lynton Drive, Shipley, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possessing an imitation gun in public.

The judge also said carrying firearms in public, even imitation firearms, was serious and MacMour had driven badly because he had been in a rush to get home.

“Had there been a pedestrian in the road of a child running into the road, you could have killed them,” he said. Any repetition you are going to find yourself in very real trouble indeed.”

Mr Adlington told York Crown Court the police car had a member of the police firearm team on board when MacMour and his friend overtook them at 11.20pm on Saturday July 2. The Mercedes and BMW were heading away from the city centre and accelerated away from the police, who put on their blue lights and caught up with them near Pullen Drive.

In addition to the imitation firearm and the ammo, they found a plastic gun carrier in the boot.

“Whatever the reason for the initial purchase of the weapon, that should have been the proper place to have it,” said Mr Adlington.

On arrest, MacMour said he wasn’t in a public place. He later told police he was using the gun to film an anti-gun crime video.

Mr Adlington said the video consisted of a single scene with a brief appearance by the gun.

The defence gave no mitigation after the judge said he would follow the recommendation in a probation officer’s report.