Dangerous driver who reverse rammed a police car sentenced
A dangerous driver[1] who reverse rammed a police car several times was arrested after loosing control and crashing. Officers saw two vans, a Ford Transit and a Vauxhall Vivaro, being driven close to Swaton[2], near Sleaford during the early hours of the morning. The police car[3] followed the vans, as one was believed to be involved in the commission of rural crime, and the officers caught up with the vehicles on the A52 shortly before 1am on July 28, 2024.
Both vans then turned off the A52, with the transit van overtaking the Vivaro van before speeding off ahead. As the officers got behind the Ford Transit van in their unmarked BMW, the driver suddenly brakes hard and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road, he then reversed his vehicle ramming the police car three times. The driver of the Vivaro then pulled up alongside the officers preventing them moving sideways.
The police then turned on their blue lights and sirens and at this point the transit van sped off through Helpringham with the officers following. The transit van, being driven by George Bamsey, continued dangerously, contravening solid white lines and turning aggressively at speed at blind junctions. It travelled over a railway bridge on the wrong side and reached speeds in excess of 60mph in a 30mph speed limit.
After leaving the village of Helpringham, Bamsey again attempted to reverse ram the officers in their car on another four occasions. However, he later lost control whilst driving at speed and crashed his van.
He fled via the passenger door and tried to run away, but was detained and arrested within seconds. The van had been on false plates, and copper piping and cabling was found in the rear, which had been stolen from a commercial building site in Cambridgeshire.
Bamsey, of Tudor Road, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, had injured himself during the incident and was taken to hospital for treatment. He was subsequently interviewed but gave no account of his actions. The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to stop, handling stolen goods, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, causing over GBP10,000 damage to a police car, dangerous driving and using false registration plates.
He appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, March 21 where he was sentenced to a a prison sentence of 16 months for the driving offences and four month prison sentence for handling stolen goods, both suspended for two years. Bamsey has also been disqualified from driving or holding a licence for 16 months. PC Chris Windsor-Beck from our Rural Crime Action Team, said: "This shows our officers are on patrol every day and night all year round.
While most people are sleeping or maybe working a night shift too, our officers are answering calls for assistance and using their experience to identify those who are up to no good. "Putting themselves in danger, to keep people and property safe. Never knowing what they may face as, as was the case on this occasion not knowing what they may face when the driver is stopped."
He added: "It is our role to stop and arrest those who commit crime in our county and then investigate the circumstances in an impartial manner.
Where there is evidence that offences have been committed we will always put suspects before the courts to answer for their actions.
"There will be more officers putting themselves in harm's way this evening."
References
- ^ A dangerous driver (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Swaton (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
- ^ The police car (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)