Jealous man rammed car of estranged wife as she was on first date with another man
A JEALOUS husband followed his estranged wife to her first date with another man before deliberately ramming into their car at speed and leaving them fearing they would “die on the A1”.
John Carter confronted his former spouse as she drove to the date on April 5 last year, producing a hunting knife and slashing her tyres so that she was left stranded by the roadside, a court heard.
When the man she was due to meet arrived to rescue her, Carter returned to the scene and began a high-speed chase, pursuing the pair on to the western bypass and ramming their car.
The 49-year-old has now been jailed for five years after a judge said it was “no thanks to him” that the couple had not been seriously injured in the terrifying ordeal.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Carter, of West Park Gardens,. Winlaton, Gateshead, had been a “hard-working family man” and married to wife Barbara for around 20 years until 2018.
His barrister Glenn Gatland said that Carter started suffering from anxiety and depression and “began self medicating with alcohol and cocaine, which was very unwise”.
Mr Gatland said Mrs Carter ended the relationship in August 2018 because of his excessive drinking.
He told the court that the former machine-operator “became extremely depressed and jealous when he started to suspect she was going to see someone else”.
Carter had denied two counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm but was found guilty by a jury earlier this year.
A statement from Mrs Carter read out in court said she was “still shaking physically from this incident”.
She said: “By ramming our vehicle it was clear he intended to do us serious harm. I’m mortified this happened on our first date.
“It’s the kind of thing you see in a horror movie. I thought I was going to die on the A1.”
Sentencing Carter, Judge Penny Moreland told him: “It seems you did have hopes of reconciliation but she told the jury she had made it clear to you she was not interested in reconciling. On that night she arranged to meet another man for drinks and a meal, something you found upsetting and disappointing.
“Your behaviour on the night was driven by jealousy and anger about her plan.
“You followed her when she left the family home and when her car stopped you confronted her.
Judge Moreland added that when Mrs Carter was rescued by her date, “you returned to the scene, got back into your car and began a highspeed pursuit, on to and along the western bypass.
“The jury rejected your explanation that the ensuing collision had been accidental and found you deliberately rammed his car with the intention of causing really serious harm to them.
“It’s no thanks to you neither was injured, and no thanks to you that nobody else using the road escaped injury. You fled the scene, abandoned the car and falsely reported it stolen.”
In mitigation, Mr Gatland said Carter was “shocked, upset, and can’t apologise enough”.
Carter was sentenced to five years in jail for attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. He was also sentenced to 18 months for possession of a bladed article and six-month and 12-month terms for two counts of dangerous driving, all of which will run concurrently with the fiveyear sentence. He was also banned from driving for 18 months and must take an extended test before getting his licence back.