Drug driver who deliberately hit police officer in Watford jailed

Darren McPhee, 27, sent a police constable flying over the bonnet of his grey Volvo after they went over to speak to him about a suspected drug deal.

It happened in a car park in Pumphouse Crescent in Watford on the morning of Thursday February 2019.

St Albans Crown Court heard that plain-clothes officers from Watford's Operation Scorpion team spotted McPhee's Volvo and one of the officers went over to his vehicle on foot.

McPhee did not want to hang around and the court heard he reversed his vehicle before deliberately driving at the officer, knocking him off his feet and throwing him over the bonnet.

McPhee fled in his Volvo but was quickly spotted by a marked police unit who followed McPhee into Bushey.

The 27-year-old, of no fixed address, failed to stop.

He drove at 50mph in 30mph residential streets, mounted pavements, collided with cars, and drove down roads and around a roundabout the wrong way.

He later lost control of his car in The Avenue in Bushey, crashing into a lamppost.

A picture of the Volvo after it crashed into a lamppost in Bushey. Credit: BCH Armed Policing Unit

The incident began in Pumphouse Crescent, circled, left, and ended in The Avenue, circled right. Credit: Google Maps

McPhee tried to run from the scene but was swiftly arrested.

A blood test was carried out in custody and McPhee was found to have a significant amount of cannabis in his system.

He later pleaded guilty at court to dangerous driving, driving while unfit through drugs, failing to stop for police and assaulting a police officer.

McPhee refused to leave his cell but was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Wednesday in his absence to the above charges.

He was also sentenced for actual bodily harm (ABH) and breach of a non-molestation order, which both occurred outside of Hertfordshire.

In total, he was jailed for two and a half years.

McPhee was also disqualified from driving for two and a half years starting on his release from prison. He will have to take an extended re-test before getting behind the wheel again.

Darren McPhee. Credit: Hertfordshire Constabulary

Investigator Jeannie Ireland, from the case investigation team, said: "In his desperation to elude police, McPhee chose to put not only the life of a police officer at risk, but the lives of the wider public when he drove dangerously through the streets of Watford and Bushey.

"It is a miracle that no one was seriously injured that day. Now that he is behind bars he is off the roads and I hope McPhee uses the time to reflect on his actions."