Dangerous driver who reverse rammed a police car gets suspended prison sentence

According to Lincolnshire Police, officers’ suspicions were raised on Sunday July 28 last year when they saw two vans being driven near Swaton in the early hours of the morning.

They followed as one of the vans was already believed to be involved in rural crime.

In a statement the force said what happened next could have caused “catastrophic consequences”:

"The driver of the van reversed rammed into the officer’s car several times in an attempt to disable the vehicle or worse, injure the officers. The driver accelerated after each occasion. Our officers continued to pursue the van which eventually left the road as the driver lost control.”

George Bamsey, 26, of Tudor Road, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire was sentenced after pleading guilty to a number of offences when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday March 21.

Bamsey pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to stop, handling stolen goods, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, causing over £10,000 damage to a police car, dangerous driving and using false registration plates. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison for the driving offences and a four month prison sentence for handling stolen goods, both suspended for two years. He was disqualified from driving or holding a licence for 16 months.

According to police, officers caught up with the two vans, a Ford Transit and a Vauxhall Vivaro, just before 1am on Sunday July 28 last year driving along the A52 at Swaton. The drivers of both vans 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, Bamsey, the driver suddenly braked hard coming to a complete stop in the middle of the road, claim police. Bamsey then reversed his vehicle ramming the police car three times. The driver of the Vivaro pulled up alongside the officers preventing them moving sideways. They turned on their blue lights and sirens; the transit van then sped off through Helpringham with the officers following.

Police said: “Bamsey continued driving his Transit van dangerously, contravening solid white lines, turning aggressively at speed at blind junctions, travelling over a railway bridge on the wrong side and travelling in excess of 60 mph in a 30-mph speed limit.

“After leaving the village of Helpringham, Bamsey again attempted to reverse ram the officers in their car on another four occasions. Bamsey’s poor driving finally led him to leave the road at speed and he crashed his van.

“Unable to get out of the driver’s door Bamsey fled his van via the passenger door and tried to run away. He was detained and arrested within seconds. He dropped his mobile phone as he tried to run.”

Police established the van was on false plates as it was notified as being off the road with previous keeper details only.

The police statement added: “Copper piping and cabling was found in the rear of the van and our officers were able to identify this as having been stolen from a commercial building site in Cambridgeshire.

“As Bamsey had injured himself during the incident he was taken to hospital for treatment. He was subsequently interviewed but gave no account of his actions.”

Commenting after the hearing, PC Chris Windsor-Beck from Lincolnshire Police’s 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.

“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.”