A man whose dangerous driving included following and ramming his on-off partner’s vehicle has been given a 12-month prison sentence.
Carlisle Crown Court heard of an incident on May 15 in Brampton. John Fitzgerald, 35, went to an address where the woman was staying.
She was said to have moved out having learned days earlier that he had been unfaithful with a much younger woman.
As the woman moved her car to a site covered by CCTV — in view of messages received from Fitzgerald — she saw him travelling in the opposite direction in his BMW.
There followed a prolonged spell of dangerous driving by Fitzgerald, who tried to block her progress and then pursued her car after she was able to get past. “He came so close that she feared she’d be rammed,”said prosecutor Andrew Evans.
Fitzgerald blocked the road ahead and yelled an obscenity before she drove past him into town. As she stopped at a red light, Fitzgerald drove around and again sought to block her path. “She described feeling terrified,” said Mr Evans. “At this point the Defendant reversed into her car before taking off at speed.”
The BMW took a corner on the wrong side of the road before overcompensating, hitting a parked car and driving off.
In an impact statement, the woman said the incident left her a nervous driver and caused anxiety, prompting her to seek medical help. “She feels she is the victim of gossip in the street for having gone to the police. As a consequence of both these factors, her social life has shrivelled to nothing,” said the prosecutor.
Fitzgerald, of Townfoot Park, Brampton, admitted dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.
The court heard Fitzgerald had work available to him and that time spent in custody on remand since mid-May had been well spent.
But Judge Nicholas Barker imposed an immediate prison sentence, noting the alleged domestic violence background to the incident; and also that Fitzgerald had breached a suspended jail term imposed for previous domestic violence related activity.
Fitzgerald’s driving, Judge Barker told him, had involved many aspects of grossly inappropriate and dangerous activity and manoeuvres.
Fitzgerald must complete a two-year driving ban when released from custody, and sit an extended retest before his licence is returned.
