A VAN DRIVER who repeatedly rammed a police car responding to a new year’s day fight has been found guilty of trying to wound officers.
Te picture above shows what was left of the Vauxhall Insignia after Paul Neelan deliberately collided with it six times in a transit van.
The repair bill topped £15,000, leading to the car being written off.
Two officers were helped from the car after suffering neck and back injuries but luckily neither were seriously injured.
They were heading to Hummingbird Avenue, Coventry, at 1.45am on January 1 last year when they spotted a white transit van being driven recklessly and mounting a pavement.
There had earlier been reports of serious disorder in the area and a vehicle deliberately driving at people.
Police pursued Neelan into Hancock Green but the driver suddenly put the van into reverse and careered backwards into the officers.
Shockingly, they were rammed six times – the impact was that hard it triggered the car’s airbags and tore off a door, before Neelan hit another police car.
See the moment police arrested Neelan after he rammed the police car below.
The 29-year-old, who was high on drugs, drove off but crashed moments later as he failed to negotiate a roundabout.
Neelan, from Cedars Avenue in Coventry, was chased down and found hiding in a garden nearby wearing only a pair of boxer shorts.
Police charged him with two counts of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm on two police officers.
He denied the charges but was found guilty on Thursday by a jury at Leamington Crown Court. He’s due to be sentenced on March 4.
Neelan was found guilty of two counts of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm on two police officers.
Investigating officer, Det Con Bally Kaur, said: “This was a shocking attack on two officers who were heading to the scene of a disorder to protect members of the public.
“One of the officers had to be carried off on a spinal board but thankfully they turned out not to be seriously injured.
“Neelan could easily have injured more people and caused a serious crash as he sped away high on drugs.
“Anyone who assaults emergency service workers must expect to pay a high price and spend time behind bars.”
