A booze-fuelled South Yorkshire driver is jailed after he deliberately reversed into a police vehicle

Sheffield Crown Court heard on April 14 how Garry Bean, aged 42, of Wellgate, Rotherham, was spotted driving a van inappropriately on Penny Hill Lane, near Ulley, Rotherham, with a passenger but he ignored warning lights and kept driving.

David Webster, prosecuting, said Bean stopped briefly before continuing and during the incident he deliberately reversed into the police vehicle and attempted to do the same thing a second time.

Recorder Darren Preston told Bean: “This driving was particularly serious because it was deliberately intended to be dangerous when you drove into that police vehicle.”

The pursuit which lasted about eight minutes and continued along country lanes was captured on the police vehicle’s dashcam recorder, according to Mr Webster, before Bean crashed in a ditch and fled.

Mr Webster added that the police driver suffered pain to his neck and upper-back and the repair costs for the police vehicle were just under £5,000 after the incident on October 2, 2020.

Bean, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, causing criminal damage and to exceeding the alcohol drink-drive limit after registering 60 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35microgrammes.

Richard Barradell, defending, said Bean suffers with a significant number of health problems and is vulnerable and he urged the defendant to hold up a carrier bag of medications in court.

Bean, a father-of-six, used to work for a joinery company but he was badly injured five years ago and his health has deteriorated, according to Mr Barradell.

Mr Barradell said Bean is an alcoholic but he has since stopped drinking and he bitterly regrets his behaviour.

Recorder Preston told Bean: “Police officers are entitled to protection. They are putting themselves out there on the frontline every day.”

He added: “They do not deserve people like you driving at them in large vans.”

Recorder Preston sentenced Bean to ten months of custody and disqualified him from driving for 17 months.

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