A speeding driver who badly injured a traffic cop as the officer pulled a stinger tyre deflation device across a country road near Drymen has been jailed.
Andrew Bryce, from Thornhill, in a Ford Fiesta, led police on a tactical pursuit at 65 miles an hour through villages ignoring a series of 40-mile-per hour limits, before a stinger – officially known as a HOSTYD, or Hollow Spike Tyre Deflator - was deployed on the A81 at Ballat Crossroads.
Prosecutor Sarah Smith told Falkirk Sheriff Court: “The move was successful and stung three tyres, but as the accused approached the HOSTYD he slowed and swerved.
PC Neil Mealey “pulled the wire to extend the device across the carriageway, and it got tangled in the rear wheels causing the cord to be ripped from PC Mealey’s hand.
“The device was dragged and the cord removed PC Mealey’s flesh from the middle finger of his left hand.”
Twenty-six-year-old Bryce was forced to a halt and was handcuffed and arrested.
He was smelling strongly of drink, and later gave a breath sample that proved on analysis to contain 46 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres, more than twice the legal limit, which is 22.
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The court heard PC Mealey’s finger suffered a “degloving” injury from the middle knuckle to the tip, leaving only bone and tendons exposed.
He was in hospital for plastic surgery, to graft skin and blood vessels from his arm to repair the damage, and was off work for “a considerable time”.
The incident happened about 1.45 am on Sunday November 22, 2020, in “wet” conditions with reduced visibility.
Police launched a tactical pursuit after Bryce “took off at speed” from a lay-by where he had been parked near Port of Menteith Primary School heading in the direction of Aberfoyle.
He had a male front-seat passenger with him.
Bryce, a forester, appeared for sentence last week after pleading guilty to drink-driving, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Solicitor Frazer McCready, defending, said Bryce had “a short” record.
He said: “He had been with friends. He had been drinking. He wasn’t intended to drive that night. He was in a vehicle that had been driven there by someone else. Unfortunately, they were heavily intoxicated and Mr Bryce took the unbelievably stupid, foolish and unwise decision that because they were unfit, he would then drive.
“He is extremely remorseful. He’s a better man than he was when he committed these offences.”
Sheriff Simon Collins QC jailed Bryce for 22 months and banned him from driving for 65 months.
He said: “This was very dangerous driving, under the influence of alcohol. The level of culpability is extremely high, caused a serious long-term disabling and disfiguring injury
“Given the speed and manner of the accused’s driving it’s near miraculous that greater injury or death wasn’t caused to others, the accused himself, or passengers.”
