Raver drove 235 metres with Lincolnshire Police officer clinging to her bonnet at Twyford Woods

A woman who drove at a police officer manning a road block and carried on with him straddled on her car was jailed for 12 months.
Twyford Woods raveTwyford Woods rave
Twyford Woods rave

Chelsea Harvey attempted to drive her Peugeot 206 through the road block set up by officers on a slip road off the A1 at Colsterworth to prevent people attending an illegal rave at nearby Twyford Woods.

James Bide-Thomas, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that Harvey simply drove on with Bourne-based Pc Rob Bentley on her bonnet, reaching up to 30mph.

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The prosecutor said that Harvey, who had two female friends in her car, weaved from side to side in a bid to remove the officer from the car.

At one point she was involved in a collision with a camper van but then continued for a further 115 metres with the officer still on her bonnet before she finally stopped.

Other officers then smashed a window of the car and Harvey and her two friends were arrested.

The officer suffered relatively minor physical injuries including bruising to his arm and leg but suffered serious psychological damage and was subsequently diagnosed with suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

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He was off work for several weeks and now, almost a year after the incident, is still on restrictive duties due to the effect on him.

Mr Bide-Thomas said that as Harvey reached the roadblock PC Bentley placed his hands on the bonnet of her car and shouted at her to stop.

The prosecutor added “The vehicle’s engine was revving. It was jerking forward in a way described as kangarooing.

“Then it jerked forward more violently and this caused Pc Bentley to come off his feet. He was spread-eagled on the bonnet of the Peugeot. He had his hand through the open driver’s side window and grabbed hold of the support. With his other hand he grabbed hold of the aerial of the roof but the aerial snapped off.

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“The vehicle continued to pick up speed. It is described as going at between 20 and 30 mph. PC Bentley was holding onto the vehicle and was driven for a distance of 235 metres. At that point a camper van crashed into the wing of the car. PC Bentley was terrified that the camper van would collide with him.

“The Peugeot then accelerated for a further distance of 115 metres. Pc Bentley by this point was attempting to punch his way through the windscreen and shouting at the defendant to stop the car. The vehicle continued to weave from side to side. He described the vehicle at one point as braking heavily , he thought in an attempt to throw him off. The window was wound up trapping his fingers. The vehicle then came to a halt. The defendant and her two friends were later arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.”

Chelsea Harvey, 21, of Ashley Walk, Dereham, Norfolk, admitted dangerous driving at Colsterworth, near Grantham, as a result of the incident on 23 May 2015. She was jailed for 12 months and disqualified from driving for a year.

Judge Michael Heath, passing sentence, told her “If you drive as you did with a police officer on your bonnet for the distance that you did and at the speed you did there can only be one sentence that I can impose upon you. That is immediate custody.”

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Jonathan Straw, defending, said that Harvey works in a centre for deaf-blind people run by the charity Sense.

He described her as acting in “blind panic” and added: “She is very sorry for what happened. She didn’t intend to hurt anyone. She went out with two friends that day simply to enjoy a party.”