Jail for Fairford man who forced car off road (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Jail for Fairford man who forced car off road

A MAN'S jealous obsession with his ex-lover drove him to endanger her life and that of his daughter by forcing their car off the road after a high-speed pursuit.

Craig Francis, of The Quarry, Fairford, had pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court last month to breaching a restraining order, careless driving, failing to stop or report an accident and breaching a conditional discharge.

This week at Gloucester Crown Court Judge Paul Darlow said the 25-year-old's former partner Kelly Benfield had a "right to live a life free from your obsessive jealousy".

He gave Francis a sentence of 38 weeks, where 12 weeks would be in custody and 26 weeks would be on licence, suspended for 18 months. Alan Fuller, prosecuting, said Tammy Hartshorn was in her white Ford Fiesta on November 27 travelling to Cirencester for a birthday party with her four-year-old son.

Also in the car were Miss Hartshorn's 13-year-old niece, friend Kelly Benfield and Miss Benfield's four-year-old daughter.

He said Francis had a restraining order placed on him by Cheltenham magistrates on March 26 last year stopping him contacting Miss Benfield.

Mr Fuller said their car was on the main high street in Fairford when Francis had approached the vehicle to talk to Miss Benfield.

The car then left and went on to the A417 but shortly afterwards Miss Hartshorn saw his van in her rear view mirror, the court heard.

"On the A417 his Ford Transit van came up behind the their vehicle," Mr Fuller said.

"Miss Hartshorn describes his vehicle pushing hers bumper to bumper having the effect that Miss Hartshorn briefly losing control of her vehicle.

"Having fallen back he deliberately drove into her vehicle in a shunting action.

"Her vehicle lurched forward and she was extremely frightened and pulled off the road and said the contact happened at around 50mph.

"The defendant did not stop and he claimed that the reason that he had been following so closely was that he was being chased by another vehicle which neither women recollect."

Miss Benfield had been left angry after the incident because she felt he had endangered a lot more people's lives to get at her.

Giles Nelson defending said Francis had met Miss Benfield when he was 19 and fallen in love with her. They had a child when he was 21 but the relationship broke down at the end of 2003.

Mr Nelson admitted: "There are issues in relation to jealousy and his ability to control his temper - he found it hard to control himself when the bubble burst."

As well as the suspended prison sentence for breaching his restraining order Judge Darlow banned Francis from driving for five months for careless driving and ordered him to pay £150 costs.