by Keith Hunt

A yob whose driving put lives at risk in an attempt to escape from police was told by a judge he hoped he would hate a dose of unpaid work.

Judge Jeremy Carey said Michael Vidler thoroughly deserved to go to jail but the public interest could be satisfied by other punishment.

Ordering 250 hours of work in the community, he told the 30-year-old father: “Disagreeable, I hope, onerous, I hope and not to your liking, I hope.

"If you don’t have the backbone to get on with it, you will come back before me.”

Vidler, of Dublin House, Cornwall Close, Maidstone, admitted dangerous driving and his not guilty pleas to causing PC Michael Newman grievous bodily harm and common assault on pedestrian Lukacz Lyckowski were accepted.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how PC Newman spotted Vidler was not wearing a seatbelt in his Citroen in Beaconsfield Road on May 16 last year.

Alex Wilson, prosecuting, said the officer asked Vidler to stop and get out of the car. He failed to do so and started “furiously” revving the engine.

PC Newman shouted to him to stop and put his arm through the window to grab hold of him.

But he drove off with the wheels spinning. He mounted the kerb, pulling the officer along.

PC Newman saw that Mr Lyckowski was in the car’s path and panicking. The pedestrian tried to jump out of the way as the car veered towards a van.

Mr Wilson said the officer let go and Vidler sped off. Mr Lyckowski was struck on the right leg and PC Newman had “aches and pains” from bruising.

The car was found soon afterwards. When arrested, Vidler told his wife Sarah: “It’s your fault I am going to be arrested for attempted murder.”

He said he drove after they argued and panicked when stopped by the officer.

Keith Middleton, defending, told the court: “It might be described as 15 seconds of madness.”

Vidler was also sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months with supervision and banned from driving for two-and-a-half years.

He was ordered to pay the two victims £250 each in compensation for their “minor injuries and trauma”.