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Dangerous driver Luke Jervis threw woman from car before ramming police in Dartford chase

A cocaine-fuelled BMW driver threw a female passenger out of his car before a police chase which ended with two officers being injured, we can now reveal.

Road menace Luke Jervis was subject to a five-year driving ban when he deliberately reversed his vehicle at speed, twice, into the stationary police car in Dartford, Kent - injuring two officers.

The dad of two - who has been jailed for 22 months - unceremoniously pushed a female passenger out of the car at the start of the chase at 10.15pm on January 12 this year.

Luke Jervis. Picture: Kent Police
Luke Jervis. Picture: Kent Police

Shocking footage played in court not only showed his vehicle accelerating 'hard and fast' into the front bumper and bonnet of the police car, but also captured the officers' audible fear when they realised what was happening.

They were left with substantial bruising, swelling and whiplash injuries.

Jervis, said to have an 'appalling' criminal record with numerous driving offences, had reached speeds in excess of 80mph and jumped traffic lights as he was pursued by the marked police vehicle.

As well as injuring the officers, he caused £10,000 worth of damage to their vehicle.

Kent Roads Policing Unit later tweeted photos of the aftermath, saying its officers 'want to go home in one piece at the end of the night'.

Jervis admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance, and two offences of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Maidstone Crown Court
Maidstone Crown Court

Jailing him at Maidstone Crown Court, Kent, yesterday - the day before his 30th birthday - Judge Martin Huseyin told him it was time to 'grow up'.

"You know that this was not only stupid but also very dangerous.

"You are a repeat dangerous driver with multiple offences of dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

"You used this vehicle as a weapon against officers who are entitled to go about their duty without fear of violence from members of the public.

"You are not a teenager anymore, you are a 30-year-old man. Start behaving like one."

Heavily-tattooed Jervis, formerly from Welling, Kent, was also banned from driving for five years and 11 months.

Lowfield Street in Dartford. Picture: Google
Lowfield Street in Dartford. Picture: Google

The court heard officers became suspicious of the 12-year-old BMW with tinted windows after it pulled out of a junction in Heath Lane and then performed a u-turn in front of them in Lowfield Street.

Checks revealed it was also registered to a London address.

Having illuminated their blue lights, Jervis slowed to a crawl and then stopped at the roadside.

But as one of the officers got out to speak to him, the BMW revved loudly and then reversed into their car before pulling away at speed with wheels spinning, said prosecutor Patrick Dennis.

"The front passenger door opened and a young female was thrown from the vehicle," he added.

"From the officers' point of view, she didn't get out of her own volition but fell out as a result of being pushed out."

The pursuit then travelled from Heath Lane into Princes Road, up to the roundabout with Dartford Road and then into Maiden Lane.

But it was as the road narrowed under a railway bridge and Jervis' path was blocked by an oncoming car that he reversed and rammed the patrol car for a second time, injuring the officers.

The rail bridge over Maiden Lane, Dartford
The rail bridge over Maiden Lane, Dartford

"He accelerated hard and fast, with a loud engine noise and no brake lights visible, into the police vehicle, setting off the airbags and causing extensive front damage," said Mr Dennis.

Jervis admitted on arrest he had taken cocaine. He said he was homeless and had bought the car for £2,000 to live in.

Mr Dennis continued: "The prosecution say this is about as bad an example of dangerous driving as you can get in the circumstances.

"But the assaults occasioning actual bodily harm are the most serious offences and clearly high culpability because of the use of a weapon.

"It is also an offence against police officers trying to do their duty, and he was under the influence of drugs at the time.

"There are aggravating factors from every conceivable corner."

Jervis has 31 previous convictions for 55 offences, including at least three for dangerous driving and four for driving while disqualified.

He was jailed for nine months in December 2017 for performing high-speed stunts on an illegal motorcycle while being cheered on in the street by children as young as 10.

Other previous convictions include offences of robbery, money laundering, possessing a knife, and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

The court was told Jervis's actions in January were the result of panic but he was 'immediately apologetic' on arrest and remorseful.

He was later charged with possessing cannabis and cocaine following the incident and jailed for 21 days by magistrates.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Dartford

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