Disqualified driver rammed Dorset Police van before fleeing

Nicholas John Craig Castle found himself back before the courts for a “spree” of driving offences committed over two weeks.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that despite being disqualified from driving by a judge in May last year, 26-year-old Castle still owned seven cars and two motorbikes.

Judge Susan Evans KC said: “I do not know when he is going to get the message. It is madness to be in possession of vehicles.”

Jailing the defendant for 23 months, Judge Evans KC told Castle: “You need to understand you cannot be in possession of vehicles. The temptation for you is too large.

“You are disqualified and you will not be getting your licence back until you complete the extended retest which the courts have previously ordered.”

Prosecutor Rachel Bailey outlined the defendant’s spate of offending which happened between April 11 and April 22.

In the first incident in Gillingham, he ignored police officers’ requests for him to pull over before driving at 50 to 60mph in a 30mph zone, going through a red light and overtaking other vehicles.

He hit another vehicle from behind and damaged the BMW 3 Series he was driving.

Castle’s vehicle had smoke coming from the front which meant he could not see without putting his head out of the window.

He eventually abandoned the car but he was detained by officers.

The defendant was described as “breathing heavily”, “slurring speech” and having undilated pupils like “pin pricks” which suggested he was under the influence of drugs.

At the police station, he refused to provide a sample of blood for analysis.

Castle was seen at the wheel of a Peugeot 206 with a female passenger in Gillingham, just six days later and having been released under investigation or on bail.

Police tried to stop him, but they lost sight of the defendant. He ditched the car and ran off undetected.

Five days on from that, Castle was seen driving a Peugeot 207, with up to two passengers, shortly before midnight in Shaftesbury.

A police van went in front of him in attempt to get him to stop but he accelerated and rammed the Dorset Police vehicle, damaging it.

He tried to use his car to push the van out of the way before speeding off out of sight.

Castle, of Maple Road, Shaftesbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving, three counts of driving while disqualified, two counts of using a motor vehicle without insurance, one count of failing to provide a specimen for analysis and one count of failing to stop a motor vehicle when required by a constable.

The defendant appeared by video link from prison for the Bournemouth Crown Court hearing (Image: Daily Echo)

Rob Griffiths, mitigating, told the court there was “very little I can say on his behalf”.

“At the time he was daily using crack cocaine and that was the difficulty,” Mr Griffiths said.

The defendant wasn't taking any medication in prison, the barrister said.

Referencing a pre-sentence report, Mr Griffiths said: “At the time of his previous offending he was not motivated to tackle the ongoing drug problem but he now is.”

But he added: “Prison it must be. Disqualification it must be.”

Judge Evans KC said: “It was only sheer good luck you didn’t cause serious injury to another person through this spree of offending.”

The defendant was disqualified from driving for 35 months at the hearing on Tuesday, July 25.