A reckless driver who dragged a police officer down a Nottinghamshire high street before crashing into a tree has been jailed. The officer was knocked trying to stop Ian Stone from pulling away in Clumber Street, Mansfield.
The 24-year-old attracted police attention after running over a pedestrian's foot outside a busy nightclub in the early hours of May 29 last year. After catching up with the car, the officer ordered Stone to pull the vehicle over and, after being ignored, reached through the open window to remove the keys from the ignition.
At that point, the lights turned to green and the driver revved his engine before driving away at speed – despite the officer still having their arm inside the car. They were then dragged alongside the vehicle, before being thrown to the ground, which caused the officer injuries.
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After speeding away from the scene, Stone’s dangerous driving continued and he mounted the kerb in Woodhouse Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, crashing into both a tree and a wall just past the Haddon Road junction. Stone was left with a large gash to his forehead following the crash, while his car also sustained considerable damage.
He was subsequently charged with dangerous driving, assault causing actual bodily harm, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and driving without insurance. Having pleaded guilty to the charges, Stone, of Priory Road, Alfreton, appeared before Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, April 13.
He was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for three years and will have to pass an extended driving test when his ban ends. Sergeant Hannah Meadows, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The standard of driving demonstrated by Stone that morning was both incredibly dangerous and reckless in the extreme.
“By driving away at speed following his initial collision in the manner that he did, he put a police officer’s safety in genuine danger. It is down to sheer luck alone that the officer in question only suffered minor injuries, while Stone was also lucky that nobody else was seriously injured because of his actions."
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