Men Jailed For Running Over A Policeman

26 April 2012, 11:27 | Updated: 26 April 2012, 12:43

Dale Whiteside and Ashley Barber have been sentenced to a total of 9 years in prison for running over a policeman.

The two men had been on a drunken night out when they stole a taxi at around 3am on New Years Day.

PC Steve Leathersich, a roads policing officer based in Milton Keynes went to arrest the men but was crushed between the stolen taxi and his own police car- breaking four of his ribs.

The taxi was then driven over his legs as he was lying on the ground.

Dale Whiteside, 31 and from Pinders Croft in Greenleys was driving.

He was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months at Amersham Crown Court for GBH with intent.

Ashley Barber, 29 and from Carron Court in Bletchley was a passenger- he was sentenced to 21 months for aggravated vehicle taking and blackmail.

DCI Justin Fletcher from Thames Valley Police thinks the sentence was fair:

"This was two people, a taxi driver who serves the public and a police officer who also serves the public, as the judge said, starting a new year and have both received life changing things as a result of this so i am pleased with the sentence"

While handing out the sentences the judge told both men that he believed the victims, the taxi driver who they stole from and PC Leathersich, had been innocently going about their jobs serving the public at the start of a new year.

Thames Valley Police have released the video footage that was recorded from the police car during the incident: