Man cleared of dragging officer in car

A man charged with dragging a special police constable along the side of his car while a woman PC clung to the bonnet has been cleared of dangerous driving.

George Goodearl declined to go in the witness box during the trial at Maidstone Crown Court because of communication problems that made it hard for him to express himself, the jury heard.

The 23-year-old had been accused of driving at PC Rachael Bryant in his BMW after being stopped at Mill Street, Maidstone.

Special Kevin Buck was caught in the door frame and dragged along the street, the court heard.

Mr Goodearl had been picked out by special Buck in an identity parade but not PC Bryant.

Witness Emma Parker told the jury he could not have been the driver because he had spent the night with her.

Sue Rodham, defending, said the only reason her client had been charged with the offence in July 2013 was because of a passport found in the glove compartment.

She said: “The police officers put two and two together and made 22 and assumed he was the driver.

“There is no issue the car was driven dangerously, but my client was not the driver.”

Prosecutor Mary Jacobson said Mr Goodearl, of Town Road, Cliffe, had been given plenty of chances to give an explanation of where he was that night and did not.