A wanted man reversed into one police car before deliberately colliding head on with another before running off. The shocking collisions were caught on dash cam.
Brandon Parker, 27, of Blaenporth, Ceredigion, was uninsured and had no licence when he collided with the police vehicles near Aberystwyth on September 27 last year. As a result, both of the police drivers suffered injuries including pain to their neck and back.
A sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court on Friday heard Parker was initially wanted by police after he took a Ford Fiesta which had been dropped off at a shed in Beulah where the defendant carried out minor repairs. The car wasn't returned, and had been moved to Parker's home without permission, which led to the owner threatening to call the police.
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Prosecutor James Hartson said the defendant was seen driving to a petrol station near Cardigan on August 22 and was later seen driving carelessly before colliding with a Volvo in Mwnt, causing £7,500 worth of damage to the car. Parker continued driving and the Fiesta was later found abandoned, with the front tyre missing. The defendant failed to attend a voluntary interview with police and was circulated on the police national computer as a "wanted man".
On September 27, Parker was seen driving a Nissan Micra on the A487 in Rhydyfelin near Aberystwyth, with the number plate on the vehicle altered. He was spotted by a police officer in Llangwyryfon but he failed to stop and reversed into the police car at 20mph before driving off.
Another police officer was driving in Rhyd-Rosser when Parker's car approached him at speed and collided with the vehicle head on. Mr Hartson said it was "obvious" there wasn't enough room and the defendant had attempted to force his way through, causing extensive damage to the car.
Following the crash, Parker got out of the car and ran away but police were unable to catch him. He was later arrested at his home in Lon yr Ysgol at 10.50pm. He made no reply to the caution and answered no comment in interview. The defendant later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, taking a vehicle without permission and driving without a licence or insurance. The court heard he had previous convictions for violence but none related to driving.
In mitigation, Ashanti-Jade Walton said her client had been "exposed to a great deal of trauma". She added: "It's clear his upbringing was chaotic, disruptive, and the experiences he had at a young age played a significant part in the way he processes the world around him... He seems to act first and think later."
She said the defendant had split up with his partner and was the father to three children. The break-up caused him to "hit the self destruct button" and he previously made a suicide attempt, she said.
Recorder Christian Jowett told Parker a custodial sentence was "unavoidable" and he would pass the least sentence possible to mark the seriousness of the offences. The defendant was sentenced to a total of 22 months imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for 44 months.
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