Coventry drunk driver jailed after ramming three police cars with his van

A van driver deliberately smashed into three police cars in Coventry after leading them on 50mph chase - even though his pregnant partner was in the vehicle.

One officer was injured when Nigel Barwell launched his attack last March in Stoke Heath and nearly £30,000 of damage was caused to the vehicles involved.

Barwell had originally denied a charge of dangerous driving, but changed his plea to guilty on the day of his trial last month, when he also admitted assaulting Pc Robert Horton.

This week at Warwick Crown Court Barwell, aged 29, of Hepworth Road, Binley, was jailed for two years and eight months and banned from driving for three years.

Jailing Barwell, Judge Alan Parker told him: “You have got a terrible record, and on this occasion you committed very serious offences indeed.

“You were adversely affected by alcohol and you were not insured. You were noticed by the police because your headlights were not illuminated, and you took evasive action to avoid them.

“There was a pursuit over about 20 minutes through a series of mostly residential streets, and there were times you were driving at 50 miles an hour.

“But there were also times when you stopped – but you only stopped in order to avoid the consequences of your behaviour by reversing into police vehicles.”

The judge read out part of the officer’s statement in which Pc Horton said: “As I got up off the floor the van was directly in front of me revving its engine. I was very fearful for my personal safety, as I feared the van could run over me.”

And Judge Parker added: “The damage to the three police vehicles was extensive.

“You were plainly enticing the officers to stop, and your purpose was to cause damage to the police cars. You had absolutely no remorse at all.”

Driver jailed after ramming three police cars loses appeal against sentence

A dangerous motorist who left a trail of destruction after ramming three police cars while his pregnant partner was on board can have no complaints about his tough sentence.

Nigel Liam Barwell, of James Galloway Close, Coventry, was caged for two years and eight months at Warwick Crown Court in February after admitting dangerous driving and assault.

The 29-year-old was also banned from driving for three years after taking off in his van when police spotted him driving erratically and without lights in Stoke Heath.

Barwell drove at 50mph in a 30mph speed zone and repeatedly reversed into pursuing patrol cars. His pregnant girlfriend was travelling with him at the time.

He smashed into a saloon car as it was pulling out of a driveway and rammed one police car as an officer stood beside it.

That collision resulted in Pc Robert Horton being hurled to the ground and injured after he was struck by his own car door.

In all, Barwell’s highway rampage clocked up a £17,000 repairs bill for the police, London’s Appeal Court heard.

Barwell was challenging his sentence, claiming it was far too long and out to be cut.

But Sir Alistair MacDuff, sitting with Lord Justice Treacy and Mrs Justice Lang, threw out his complaints.

His punishment was “neither wrong in principle nor excessive”, said the judge, who concluded: “There is no merit in this appeal, which is dismissed.”

It's about time frivolous appeals had extra time added on. What a waste of money, and I bet there's no chance of him getting the bill?