Tractor driver jailed after deliberately ramming police car

A man who deliberately rammed a police car with tractor in Malpas has been jailed.

Alfred Brereton appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 1 May were he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The 19-year-old, of Bickley Town Lane, Bickley, near Malpas, had earlier pleaded guilty to criminal damage recklessly endangering life.

As well as his custodial sentence, he is also banned from driving for three years and three months , which will start upon his release  from prison.

The court heard how at 11.20pm on Thursday 25 July 2024 police were called to reports of a suspected drink driver in Malpas.

The caller reported that the man was driving a tractor which had been parked outside a pub.

Officers attended and shortly before midnight they spotted a red tractor, driven by Brereton, on a nearby road and activated the emergency equipment and ordered him to stop. However, Brereton ignored the request and went off-road into a field.

As police followed the tractor, Brereton reversed the vehicle before deliberately ramming the police car, causing more than £10,000 worth of damage and leaving both officers shaken.

Brereton then made off from the scene but was later arrested at his home, where he blew zero on a breath test.

In his victim personal statement, one of the officers told the court how ‘he had never been scared or fearful for my life before this’.

He added:

“The actions of the driver were deliberate, we gave him no reason to use such a large and powerful agricultural vehicle against us, I believe he fully intended to hurt us.”

Detective Constable Kelly Connolley, who led the investigation, said:

“I welcome the sentence handed to Brereton, which reflects the severity of his indefensible and extremely dangerous actions that day.

“He used an extremely powerful vehicle to deliberately ram the police car, which the aim of causing as much damage as possible. It is only by chance that the two officers involved did not sustain any serious injuries.

“Brereton also caused more than £10,000 to a response police car, leaving it off the road for several weeks while the car was repaired.

“He committed all of these actions knowing that had he just stopped for the officers as requested, he would have passed the drink drive test and been allowed to make his way home.

“Instead, he’s now facing 30 months behind bars, which will allow him to reflect upon his actions.”

Pictured - Alfred Brereton of Bickley Town Lane in Bickley, near Malpas.