A motorist who used his car as a “weapon”, swerving into collision with his ex-partner’s vehicle before shunting it along a residential Carlisle road, has been spared prison.
Jason George William Foster, 26, was carrying a passenger in his red Volkswagen Golf when he spotted his ex-partner behind the wheel of an oncoming car.
Foster swerved into the path of the woman, on Dobinson Road in daylight on March 21, colliding head-on with the front bumper.
He then exited his vehicle, denting her door and knocking off a wing mirror.
After getting back into his car, Foster, drove forwards, pushing her vehicle backwards despite her having applied the handbrake.
“She was left scared as a result of that,” prosecutor Ben Berkson told Carlisle Crown Court today.
An independent witness saw the Golf wheels spinning and smoke emitting from it.
Foster, of Holywell Crescent, Carlisle, was arrested almost an hour after the incident, part of which was captured on video by a nearby resident.
He admitted kicking off the wing mirror but initially blamed his ex-partner, claiming she drove at him.
He later admitted a dangerous driving charge.
Judith McCullough, defending, said Foster did not seek to shirk responsibility for the offence and had shown remorse.
The victim had provided the court with a supportive reference for him, and retracted an initial statement she made.
Judge Richard Archer suspended an eight-month jail term for 18 months, saying only Foster’s recent involvement on a “building better relationships” court had saved him from immediate prison.
“You used your car as a weapon, a weapon that caused a risk of harm to your former partner,” Judge Archer told him.
Foster must complete a rehabilitation requirement and night-time curfew, was banned from driving for 18 months and must take an extended retest.
