A DRIVER with an “attitude problem” towards a police community support officer has been jailed for using his vehicle as a weapon.

Paul Alan Chilton, 59, drove at her when he was banned from the roads, a jury at York Crown Court heard. Some days earlier, he had pushed her against her bicycle.

York Press:

He denied he had been behind its wheel of his car, claiming she had misidentified him. The jury heard evidence supporting her account including that his vehicle was not on his driveway at the time as he claimed.

The 59-year-old from Moor Lane, York, was convicted of dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified. Both offences took place in Kingsway North, Clifton. He had denied the charges. He had previously been convicted by magistrates at a trial of assaulting her.

Jailing him, the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC told him: “It is perfectly plain to me you were showing vaunting arrogance when giving evidence and plainly have an attitude problem as far as this witness (the woman) is concerned.

“You drove the vehicle at her intending to give her the shock of her life.

“Anyone who uses a car as a weapon, as you did cannot escape a custodial sentence.”

He gave Chilton a 12-month prison sentence, banned him from driving for three years and ordered him to take an extended driving test before driving alone again. The judge said he took into account Chilton’s age and the fact that his health was not good.

He heard Chilton had previously pushed the police community support officer against her bicycle.

Chilton’s previous conviction of assaulting the police community support officer related to an incident on December 30, 2014 in Moor Lane. When they convicted him of that, York magistrates also convicted him of driving whilst disqualified and without insurance in the same road. The dangerous driving occurred on December 11, 2014.

After seeing medical and probation reports, magistrates gave Chilton a prison sentence of ten weeks and suspended it for 12 months in July 2015 on condition he did 100 hours’ unpaid work and did a rehabilitation course. He was also banned from driving for 25 months.