A WINSFORD man has been jailed after he stole a car and crashed it in front of an off-duty police officer. 


Charlie Smith, 20, from Bentley Grove, stole a Ford Focus from the Crewe area on Sunday, May 1, at around 10pm, while disqualified and having no insurance.


He then headed to Winsford in the stolen car and, without being pursued, crashed into two parked cars in Townfield’s Crescent, where a passing off-duty police officer was quick on the scene. 


When the officer tried to detain him, Smith then got into a fight with the officer before being detained and refusing to blow into an intoximeter, damaging the machine. 


He was sentenced to 22 months in prison at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, June 8, for a list of offences after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. 


Smith was sentenced for aggravated vehicle taking, assaulting a police officer, criminal damage to clothing, criminal damage to intoximeter at Middlewich Custody Suite, driving while disqualified, driving with no insurance, and failing to provide a specimen of breath.

 
Insp Dave Snasdell said: “I think it’s a justified sentence. It could have been far more serious. 


“This was a serious incident which has impacted on a number of people, particularly the owners of the three cars which were involved in the crash.


“He has taken a car while disqualified and with no insurance and thankfully no one was injured apart from the off-duty officer.”