Father drove off and left injured officer in road
‘I feared for my life when we got to the A20’
The officer forced to cling to Lewis Goldswain’s car has told of his terror as he hurtled towards the main road.
PC John Fordham said stopping people was a routine part of the job.
But when the car sped off he said his feelings were of shock and disbelief.
PC Fordham added: “When the car started moving, there wasn’t much I could do. Throughout the incident I was trying to take the keys from the ignition to get the car to stop.
“It was only when we got to the A20 that I started to fear for my life.”
He fractured a vertebra in his spine, fractured his thigh and suffered internal bleeding from a back injury, for which he will need surgery, but has now returned to work.
He thanked everyone who came to his aid and for those who treated him.
Judge Carey also praised Mr Torok, whom, he said, showed commendable humanity and a cool head in his actions. A driver who sped away from a pub car park in Larkfield with a plain-clothes police officer clinging to the side of his car has been jailed.
A witness said he saw PC John Fordham being flung around like a rag doll, while another said he saw the officer hit a traffic light with such force that he thought he could not have survived.
Father-of-three Lewis Goldswain, 28, was jailed for three years and three months at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday.
He admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving on July 26, 2014.
John O’Higgins, prosecuting, said PC Fordham was on plainclothes duty when he saw a gold VW Golf suspected of being involved in drug-dealing and followed it to the Wealden Hall pub car park in London Road.
PC Fordham approached, showed his warrant card and said he was an officer.
As the officer reached in to try to grab the keys, the driver shot off, crossed a traffic island and hit some railings with the top half of PC Fordham’s body still in the car.
Mr O’Higgins said: “The driver went into reverse and as he went past a traffic light PC Fordham was crushed between the car and the light pole and fell to the ground, where he was left lying in the road.”
Witness Mark Torok went to PC Fordham’s aid and placed his own car in the road to protect the officer.
Goldswain was seen driving at speed with his car bumper hanging off. His car was found in a garage about a mile away from his Halling home.
The next day Goldswain handed himself in to police, saying he had stopped in the pub car park to take a phone call when a man approached and put his hand towards his car keys.
Goldswain said he thought he was going to be robbed and drove off. He said PC Fordham did not show his warrant card.
Mr O’Higgins said a drugs expert examined the Golf and found it had been in substantial contact with cocaine and it was suspected Goldswain was dealing on the day of the incident.
Goldswain had no previous convictions and a clean driving licence.
Thomas Stern, defending, said Goldswain had been continuously employed since leaving school and played an active role in his children’s lives although separated from their mother.
Judge Jeremy Carey told him: “You should be deeply ashamed of the spineless way you left this man in the street.”
Goldswain was also banned from driving for three years.
A charge of causing grievous harm with intent, which Goldswain had denied, was left on file.