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$Jail for British man who fractured a Spanish police officer's skull after ramming his patrol car with stolen vehicle$

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Jail for British man who fractured a Spanish police officer's skull after ramming his patrol car with stolen vehicle

The defendant fled from a traffic checkpoint on the Costa del Sol and injured four other officers during a dramatic 48-kilometre chase along the N-340 and A-7

Irene Quirante

Malaga

Wednesday, 3 April 2024, 15:37

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A British man who fractured a police officer's skull when he rammed him with a stolen van on the eastern strip of the Costa del Sol has been sentenced to seven years and two months in prison.

The man, 28 years old at the time, learned his fate in the High Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA) following the incident on the morning of 29 December 2020 in Algarrobo.

According to the sentence, seen by SUR, the man stole a van in Motril after noticing the keys had been left on the passenger seat. The vehicle belonged to a delivery company and the driver had gone to make a delivery. The British man stole the van and started driving towards Malaga, the court heard.

Then at about 11.15am at kilometre point 323.100 of the N-340 road, the man encountered a Guardia Civil traffic checkpoint. According to the court papers, he tried to run over the officer who stopped him after he was spotted speeding. The policeman was injured after he fell to the ground. The defendant then continued on his way, driving in the opposite lane, forcing other vehicles to take action to avoid him, the court heard.

Dramatic police chase

That was the start of a dramatic police chase that started on the N-340 and continued along the A-7. The pursuit lasted for 48 kilometres in which the British man, according to the ruling, tried to cause accidents by driving recklessly and seriously endangering the safety of other drivers.

On the A-7, he then tried to ram a Guardia Civil patrol, although he did not manage to do so on this occasion. Later, he hit another police vehicle in Vélez-Málaga. On the second ramming, the Guardia Civil patrol car was forced into oncoming lanes, crossing the cental reservation from the force of the impact and colliding with a concrete mixer lorry.

One hundred days in hospital

One of the officers spent more than 100 days in hospital in a serious condition he suffered a fractured skull, among other injuries, as a result of the incident. He needed around 565 days of treatment, but still suffers severe after-effects which have prevented him from continuing to work as a Guardia Civil officer. His colleague was also admitted to hospital in a serious condition. He needed 157 days to recover from his injuries.

The British man got out of the van after the incident and tried to flee on foot but was arrested. In addition to his prison sentence, the Andalusian High Court also partially upheld an appeal filed by the policeman who was the most seriously injured, forcing the man to pay for his healthcare expenses and bills as he will need to continue to pay such as the ongoing treatment for his vocal cords and weekly facial physiotherapy sessions.

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