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Royal Mail worker Sean Woodward rammed his work van into a car and threw a brick through a house window in the early hours of the morning. The 40-year-old was a cleaner for the postal organisation when he repeatedly drove into his brother’s neighbour’s car which was shunted into another vehicle.
He left but police located his van by a bus stop in Chell Heath and tried to box him in. But Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he rammed the police cars to escape.
He later handed himself in and was breathalysed and found to be over the drink-drive limit. Now Woodward has been sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years.
Prosecutor David Bennett said the incident happened in Ball Hayes Road, Chell Heath, at 4am on April 13. Mr Bennett said: “The defendant had recently split up with his wife and was living in his van. His nephew lived in Ball Hayes Road.
“A neighbour’s son called the police at 4am. The neighbour was woken by the sound of smashing outside her home. She saw a Post Office van driven by the defendant ramming into her Vauxhall Corsa. The impact caused it to jolt forwards. He drove into the vehicle on three separate occasions. A Seat Ibiza was also damaged.
“The defendant was shouting and swearing in the street. She saw the van with its rear double doors now open. There were tools inside. The defendant stood by the open doors. She called the police. The defendant was heard to say, ‘I am coming in, I have got nothing to lose’.
“He was heard to say, ‘I will cut your balls off rat, get out here’. The witness saw the defendant was holding a pole and saying, ‘I am going to chop your balls off’. He caused damage to a window in a porch door. The neighbour saw the defendant throw a brick at her window and heard it smash. Her son recorded the defendant’s actions on a phone. Police arrived. The Corsa was significantly damage.”
Police located the defendant’s van on Chell Heath Road. It was stopped by a bus stop and two officers tried to box in the defendant. Mr Bennett said: “They tried to get the defendant out the van. However, he revved the engine and drove into the police vehicle causing it to shunt forwards and collide with the second police vehicle. He drove off. The van was later found abandoned in Sparrow Street, Smallthorne.
“The defendant later handed himself in at the police station. He was arrested. He smelt of alcohol. He was breathalysed and gave a reading of 52 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35.”
In his police interview Woodward said he could not recall anything other than falling asleep at his brother’s house in Birches Head. He believed he blacked out. He could not recall ramming the police vehicle. He said he was sorry and could not believe it was him.
In a victim statement the neighbour said she had lost two stone in weight and is suffering with anxiety. Her Corsa was written off and she has had to take taxis which has hit her financially.
Woodward, of Cedar Road, Crackley, pleaded guilty to affray, dangerous driving, two charges of criminal damage and drink-driving.
Nick Tatlow, mitigating, said the defendant is at a loss to explain his behaviour. Mr Tatlow said: “He was in an uncontrolled drunken rage. When he saw the footage he was appalled and his first reaction was to say, ‘Not me, that can’t be me, I do not behave like that’. He never has.
“As time has gone on a little more of what happened that night has come back to him. But he still can’t explain his behaviour. He does not know the neighbour or her adult son. It is the defendant’s brother who lives next door to the woman. He says there is no bad blood with his brother or his brother’s son.
“He lost his home when the relationship with the partner broke down in January and he stayed from time to time with the brother in Birches Head and from time to time with the brother in Ball Hayes Road. He is unable to explain it. His behaviour remains inexplicable and appalling to him.
“He does not put the breakdown of the relationship as a cause of these events. It is not suggested any of the threats or abuse were directed at the neighbour.”
Mr Tatlow said the Post Office kept open Woodward’s job for a long time but he lost it in November. He is trying to get himself back into work. Mr Tatlow added: “I ask the court to accept that these offences were a genuine one-off, entirely out of character, unexplained with no real grounds to fear repetition in the near future.”
As part of the suspended sentence order Woodward must complete 200 hours unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement for 25 days. He was ordered to pay £500 compensation.
Judge Trevor Meegan said: “It was a spate of mad, drunken offending during a black out effectively. I think it likely that you, in that drunken state, had got the wrong house and the wrong address.
“This is inexplicable behaviour. There was a relationship breakdown but it seems some months before. I do consider there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. I do consider this as a one-off.”
Woodward was banned from driving for a year and until he passes an extended re-test.
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