An uninsured Ford Fiesta driver who crushed a police officer during a high-speed chase through Aberdeen has been jailed for three years.
Charlie Deans raced away from the police at speeds of up to 90mph during the seven-mile-long pursuit through the city from around 3.20am on September 22 2019.
The 25-year-old, who was carrying two passengers at the time, was finally stopped when a Stinger device was used to puncture his tyres.
But as Deans reversed to avoid capture, he caused Sergeant Graeme Smith crippling injuries when the officer was pinned against his police Land Rover.
The joiner and labourer had faced an attempted murder charge before pleading guilty to lesser charges, including driving dangerously and striking the officer to the danger of his life.
He also admitted driving without insurance during the pursuit, which started outside the Fountain Bar in Tillydrone and ended in Blackburn.
Deans appeared at the High Court in Aberdeen for sentencing on Thursday morning.
His defence counsel Bill Adam told the court: “Mr Deans deeply regrets his actions on that night.
“He’s deeply sorry for the injuries and the stress he caused the police officer and his colleagues.
“Mr Deans did not see the officer when his vehicle was brought to a stop.”
Mr Adam explained that due to the position of the police vehicle behind, his client saw that he could reverse straight back, so he did.
“He went straight back. There was no swerving towards the officer.
“The whole course of his driving that evening was totally unacceptable and Mr Deans is genuinely appalled that his panic when the police sought to stop his vehicle led to the course of dangerous driving and the injuries caused.
“He has no previous convictions. He saw the police. He panicked. The police tried to bring his vehicle to a stop and he panicked some more.”
‘Prolonged, persistent and deliberate’
Mr Adams also said Deans has been subject to a curfew for three years as a bail condition.
More than three years on from the police chase, Sgt Smith, who sustained multiple pelvic fractures, still suffers from chronic pain.
Judge Graham Buchanan described the pursuit as a “prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of dangerous driving”.
He told Deans: “Your driving on September 22nd 2019 was truly appalling and had devastating consequences for Sgt Smith, who was simply performing his duties as a police officer, when your utterly reckless and desperate attempt to avoid arrest caused the accident, which led to his very serious injuries.
“From the moment you realised you were being followed by the police you took a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and showed a complete disregard for the risk of danger to others.”
The route of the car chase
Judge Buchanan handed Deans a three-year custodial sentence, backdated to October 12, with a 12-month supervised release order.
He explained: “The level of your culpability is high as was the degree of harm caused to the sergeant.
“I take into account you have shown a degree of remorse for what you did and that you were 22 years of age at the time.”
Deans, of Newton Road in Aberdeen, was also disqualified from driving for six years.
He was admonished on four charges – including driving with two brake lights which were not operational, failing to stop when told by the police and driving without the necessary licence and insurance.
‘Warning to others’
Commenting on the court case, Chief Inspector Andy Barclay said: “We welcome the plea and conviction from Charlie Deans.
“His actions that night were extremely reckless and resulted in the injury of one of our officers.
“The incident could easily have had far more serious consequences.
“The chief constable has made it clear that aggressive or threatening behaviour against Police Scotland personnel is simply not part of the job and has promised to provide improved safety and welfare support.
“We hope this conviction acts as a warning to others.”
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