Danger-driver sped from police after stinger punctured tyres
A DANGEROUS driver pulled the barb out of his jacket when an officer tried to Taser him and accelerated away over a police stinger device.
William Hayward mounted the pavement of a car park, narrowly missed two pedestrians, and smashed the BMW he was driving into a police car, leaving the officer inside with whiplash.
Speaking at Cardiff Crown Court, his counsel, Mark Linehan, accepted it was “an appalling piece of driving”.
The court heard the incident happened in the early hours of March 13 in the car park of Asda in Duffryn, Newport.
Ieuan Bennett, prosecuting, said: “The police wanted to stop the car and speak with the defendant.”
They put a stinger device at the carpark exit to stop Hayward leaving. An officer got out of a marked police car and went to speak to the defendant, who was driving a BMW 5 Series.
Prosecutors said he tried to get away by mounting the kerb and driving around the police officer. He went over the stinger and the tyres were punctured, but he drove on to Morgan Way at 60mph in a 30mph zone.
The court heard he “narrowly missed” two pedestrians and drove onto Lighthouse Road at 70mph while pursued by police cars.
Mr Bennett said: “He was seen to drive at speed around a number of blind bends. He almost hit a hedge.”
At the end of Lighthouse Road Hayward drove into the police car, causing “quite a degree of damage” to the police car and the BMW.
The officer, who later went to hospital with whiplash injuries, told Hayward to get out of the car and the defendant threw a punch. Mr Bennett said: “The defendant punched him twice to the head.”
The court heard the officer used his Taser but Hayward was wearing a heavy jacket and managed to pull the barbs off his coat.
He tried to put the car in gear and the officer Tasered him again. Hayward tried to close the driver’s door and get away but eventually got out and gave himself up.
He told the police he had been to the races in Cheltenham. Tests confirmed he had not been drinking or taking drugs but he had never held a full driving licence.
Prosecutors said he had 98 previous offences on his record, with his first driving offence committed when he was 15. The court heard he was previously jailed for six years for robbery and this was his 17th offence of driving while disqualified and his fourth for dangerous driving.
Hayward, 33, from Schooner Close in Newport, admitted driving dangerously, while disqualified, without insurance, failing to stop, and assaulting a police officer.
Mr Linehan acknowledged his client made a “foolish decision”. He said he was on licence at the time and “afraid of being recalled”.
He drew the judge’s attention to a letter from Hayward’s long-term partner. The court heard Hayward is a “father figure” in the household.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said a suspended sentence was “out of the question”, noting this was Hayward’s 17th time before the court for driving while disqualified.
He told Hayward: “You are a complete danger. You were on licence, which indicates the level of contempt in which you hold court orders.
“You must realise that continuing to flout courts orders will result in longer and longer periods of imprisonment.”
Hayward was jailed for 16 months and must serve the rest of his recall before the new sentence starts. He was disqualified from driving for two years from the time of his release and must pass an extended re-test.