A 47-YEAR-OLD Worcester man has been given another chance by a judge, after seriously injuring a bailiff when he reversed his BMW and hit him.

Daniel Slade narrowly avoided jail for the offence in which he injured bailiff Darren Clark, who suffered a dislocated shoulder and had to take time off work.

Prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court, Lal Amarasinghe said that at about 10.15 on February 21 this year Mr Clark was called to Slade’s home in Comer Gardens, to carry out a court order.

Mr Amarasinghe said Slade originally told him the vehicle wasn’t his, but after checks confirmed it was, they tried to seize the BMW by clamping the wheels.

As Mr Clark was placing a second clamp on a rear wheel, Slade got into the BMW and reversed, with the open door hitting Slade and dragging him for five metres, before a second bailiff jumped in the passengers seat and applied the handbrake.

When police arrived, 47-year-old Slade was arrested, telling police he had panicked.

Mr Amarasinghe said the victim later told police he feared he would be dragged underneath the vehicle.

Mr Amarasinghe said: “Mr Clark said he could not lift his arm and was in constant pain. He wasn’t able to work for six weeks. It has affected his life. He is worried about returning to work.”

Defending Slade, Alun Williams said: “It clearly was an unpleasant injury.

“He has told me he would like to apologise to the victim. He is man of previous good character. There is no evidence of it being pre-determined. It was a blind panic. A car could be a weapon, but it was not used as a weapon.

“There is genuine and real remorse, and it was an isolated incident.”

Mr Williams also added that Slade had been a volunteer for the Worcester Snoezelen charity, which showed his good character.

In sentencing, Judge Nicholas Cartwright said he shuddered to think how much more serious it would have been if the victim’s arm had been caught up.

“An aggravating feature is Mr Clark’s injuries, the pain and suffering," he said. “But it was out of character.”

The judge sentenced Slade to six months jail, suspended for two years, and warned him that if he committed another offence in that period he would be punished for both crimes.

Slade was also ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation to the victim within 56 days, with the judge adding there could be no figure that met the pain suffered by the victim.

Slade was also told he had to complete 150 hours of unpaid work within a year.