A MOTORIST who rammed three police cars during a low speed chase and then assaulted a custody officer has been jailed for 16 months.

Christopher Loveridge’s former girlfriend was at the Campanile Hotel and feared he had come to harass her, so she called the police.

When officers arrived Loveridge, 24, led them on a chase where stinger devices were needed twice to stop his car.

Following his arrest, after his car ended up in a front garden, he spat in the face of a detention officer sending saliva into his mouth.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court police were called just before 9pm on January 21 to the Delta Business Park.

They tried to stop the black Ford Mondeo but it was driven away without its lights on. Although it was only going at about 25mph Loveridge refused to stop, reversing away from traffic lights when he was boxed in.

In Rodbourne Road the car passed a bus dropping off passengers before heading on to Cheney Manor Road where officers threw a stinger in front of it.

But it failed to stop and as a police car tried to pull in front Loveridge drove into it and continued to Pinehurst Road and Whitworth Road.

Another stinger was deployed and all four tyres were burst as the Mondeo came to a stop in a front garden on Whitworth Road.

Miss Hingston said there were three different collisions causing damage to the police vehicles.

At the police station he was asked to leave the phone booth after making a phone call to his solicitor when he turned on the detention officer.

The victim said: “He just turned his head and looked at me and in the same movement spat in my face covering from my mouth to my forehead. The spit even went in my mouth.”

Loveridge, of Peterborough, admitted dangerous driving, no insurance and assaulting an emergency worker.The court heard he had previous convictions including dangerous driving in a similar incident and assaulting police.

Ian Fenny, defending, said the driving was not the most serious as he was not going at high speed.

Jailing him Judge Robert Pawson said “You were pursued by police vehicles who had gone to a hotel car park due to suspicions you were about to be involved in the harassment of a former partner. The rights and wrongs of that are irrelevant really.

“You drove away, you refused to stop for police. You were travelling at low speed, about 25mph, but during the course of that chase you rammed or struck three police vehicles.

“Within 36 hours you were being recalcitrant, to put it as neutrally as I can, while in custody. Two detention officers tried to move you. You spat in the face of one of them. Some of the saliva went in to his mouth which would be alarming for a detention officer and is particularly disgusting behaviour. You’ve got previous for assaulting officers.”

He was also banned Loveridge from the road for three years and eight months.