Walsall man jailed for ramming police cars after row

Christopher Talbot, aged 50, and Tina Asquith had argued outside Walsall Magistrates Court where he had been due to make an appearance on March 3 this year, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

She was there to support him but after he pulled her roughly by the arm during their fall-out on the court steps, she left and drove to her home in Castlefort Road, Walsall Wood.

Talbot followed under his own steam but on arrival, after realising she was on the phone, walked out again. Mrs Asquith had called the police to tell them what had happened, said Mr Mark Phillips, prosecuting.

Talbot returned later drunk but did not enter the property. Instead Mrs Asquith was alerted by the sound of a car revving outside and she went out to see Talbot, at the wheel of her car, ramming her brother-in-law’s Vauxhall Zafira which was parked on the drive.

The police were called but by the time officers arrived he had disappeared, the court heard. However he returned and again used Mrs Asquith’s Honda Jazz as a battering ram, this time to smash into police cars, said Mr Phillips.

Talbot drove off with the police in pursuit and on the Lichfield Road, as officers attempted to stop him, he rammed their vehicles.

When eventually arrested, he was found to have 84mg of alcohol in his blood, twice the legal limit for driving. Mr Andrew Wilkins, defending, said Talbot had been beaten every day as a child which had left him with mental health issues and struggling with alcoholism.

He said his client accepted he had behaved badly that day.

The court heard that Talbot had a string of previous offences going back to 1985. His criminal record included theft, harassment, handling stolen goods, assault, sexual offences and excess alcohol.

Talbot, of Birmingham Road, Walsall, pleaded guilty to damaging property, assault by beating, driving with excess alcohol, aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance.

In addition to the jail sentence, he was also disqualified from driving for a total of 33 months and a four-year restraining order banning him from going near Mrs Asquith was imposed.

Sentencing him, Judge Amjad Nawaz said: “What you did was deliberate, persistent and sustained - you knew exactly what you were doing.”