'Idiotic' scaffolder drove his van at woman and her Mercedes parked on Leeds street

Benjamin Roberts was condemned by a judge for his driving after footage of the incident was played to Leeds Crown Court.

The 30-year-old admitted a charge of dangerous driving.

The court heard that Roberts was in a relationship with a woman and had two children together, but it came to and end.

On April 5 last year, at around 9pm, the woman was driven by her cousin to an address on Baileys Hill, Seacroft, where Roberts had been staying with a friend.

The woman went inside while her cousin remained in the Mercedes. Shouting could be heard from the address and 20 minutes later the woman emerged again.

Roberts came out and was seen to smash a mobile phone on the floor, which the court later heard belonged to him.

He went back inside but came out again and said he was going to ram the woman’s Mercedes, which both women goaded him to do.

The driver got between herself and the car as Roberts got into his van, and was then seen to drive up to the woman several times.

The woman later said she had soreness to her leg and scratches were left on the bumper of her car.

During his police interview, Roberts denied purposely driving at the woman.

He has 10 previous convictions for 14 offences, and had been jailed in 2017 for drug dealing.

Mitigating for his latest offence, Oliver Norman said the incident had been an “accumulation of the fall out” of the break up of Roberts and his former partner.

Mr Norman added: “He fully accepts what he did was wrong and the danger he posed. He sincerely regrets his actions. “

He said that Roberts had been staying at a friend’s house and claims his ex would not leave. Roberts had even phoned the police before he got behind the wheel.

A probation report suggested Roberts, now of Moor Lane, Catterton, Tadcaster, had no intention of harming either woman, but wanted to scare them.

Judge Robin Mairs told Roberts: “There was clearly some friction or dispute, what precisely that was I do not care - it’s not relevant.

If you’d like to receive more stories like this and the latest news from the Yorkshire Evening Post, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter

“What is relevant is your reaction to it. You got in your van. That last lurch of the van came close to potentially causing very serious injury.

“It’s by luck rather than design that you are not facing a more serious charge. It was an act of monumental idiotic stupidity.”

He handed him a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 27 rehabilitation days with probation.

He was also banned from driving for 12 months and told he must take an extended re-test to get his licence back.