A man who made threats in Maidstone and then failed to stop driving for a police patrol has been jailed
A man who made threats in Maidstone and then failed to stop driving for a police patrol has been jailed. In the early hours of 9 April 2019, Phillip Mensah threatened door staff at a bar in Market Buildings after he was ejected following an altercation inside. An attending patrol saw Mensah sitting in a white BMW in Earl Street and, when officers approached the vehicle on foot, he refused to speak to them and drove away at speed. As he entered Fairmeadow, his car travelled through a red light where it collided with another vehicle. The woman suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment to her head and neck. Mensah ran from the scene and he was later arrested by officers in Gabriel’s Hill. Mensah of Rowan Lea, Chatham was later charged. The 36-year-old pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court on 5 May to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, failing to stop after an accident, failing to stop when required to do so by a police constable, failing to comply with a red light signal, and using threatening words and behaviour. Mensah was jailed for two and a half years and was also disqualified from driving for six years and three months Kent Police’s District Commander for Maidstone, Chief Inspector Ray Quiller said: ‘We take the safety of visitors and those who work in Maidstone’s night time economy extremely seriously, and my officers are regularly in the town centre to prevent and respond to incidents of antisocial behaviour and disorder. ‘On this occasion, a patrol promptly arrived after the incident was reported, and Mensah was arrested soon after his attempt to flee the scene. ‘His actions towards the door staff were appalling and his disregard for the safety of pedestrians and other road users while driving was a disgrace. ‘A prison sentence is entirely appropriate.’
