A MAN who rammed into a car containing a former girlfriend and threatened to burn down another former partner’s home has been jailed.

David Webster, 32, was sentenced to a total of two years in prison after pleading guilty to four charges.

They included assaulting a police officer who was trying to arrest him and gouging the PC’s eye, as well as breaching a suspended sentence for an earlier fraud.

Bradford Crown Court was told how Webster, of Myrtle Court, Bingley, had split with his on-off girlfriend of two years, Bethany Ingle, in 2015.

After spotting her the following month on October 18 in a car with a new boyfriend, Webster rammed his Ford Puma into their Fiat 500 on slip road of the M62 at junction 24.

Prosecutor Tim Capstick, described how Webster deliberately drove at the car carrying his former partner a number of times, terrifying her and causing more than £5,000 of damage to the vehicle.

Webster claimed the encounter had been by chance and told police he had been driven into first, causing him to hit his head and be disorientated.

Mr Capstick also told the court how Webster had been in a short relationship with Samantha Grimshaw last year and following their split he tried to contact her, resulting in a threatening phone call, where he said: “Don’t hang up the phone or I’ll burn your house down.”

The call, which took place on September 6 last year, was overhead by a police officer.

After failing to turn up to court for an earlier appearance, a warrant was issued for his arrest. On May 9 this year, officers went to an address in Keighley and pursued Webster, which ended in a police officer being attacked. He received a punch full in the face, a bite on the finger and his eye was gouged.

Mr Capstick added that Webster had told police he had ended the relationship with Miss Grimshaw as “he could not cope with her behaviour” and that while the police officer he attacked was in plain clothes, he had identified himself.

Webster also pleaded guilty to breaching a 12-month suspended sentence imposed in May last year, for a fraud offence relating to £15,000 of power tools.

Mohammed Hussain, for Webster, explained that the defendant had significant health problems which his family believed was the result of suffering head injuries in a road traffic accident in 2008.

In addition his father was terminally ill with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Mr Hussain said: “It seems that the road traffic accident has resulted in him suffering certain behaviours and health issues - he suffers from severe anxiety.”

He added of the vehicle incident off the M62: “The meeting was a complete coincidence, and he says there were gestures exchanged, but he accepts what he did was dangerous.”

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC sentenced Webster to the full 12-month sentence which had been suspended, nine months for the dangerous driving, and three months each to run concurrently for the threatening communication and assault on the police officer.

He described Webster’s situation as “self-inflicted damage” but noted his health issues and family situation.

Restraining orders preventing Webster approaching either of the women for five years were imposed.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years.