11:46am Thursday 6th March 2008
A TEENAGER who repeatedly drove a car at a Wordsley man has avoided a spell behind bars.
Daniel Biles, aged 19, drove at speed towards John Pardoe outside Mr Pardoe's home in Mount Grove, because he feared his girlfriend was in danger at the hands of her former husband.
On Tuesday March 4, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard a Ford Fiesta driven by Biles mounted the pavement and Mr Pardoe had to leap out of the way, three innocent bystanders also had to take action to avoid being hit.
Darron Whitehead, defending, said: "He knows he behaved irrationally and irresponsibly for a split second, he thought he was doing the right thing to protect Carol Pardoe."
Biles, of Halesowen Road, Netherton, admitted driving dangerously and also without a licence or insurance.
Judge Rosalind Bush gave Biles a six month jail term suspended for two years, banned him from the roads for two years and also made him the subject of a two year supervision order.
The court heard Mrs Pardoe was involved in a heated discussion with her former husband about their split, how property was to be divided up and about her entering into a relationship with a much younger man.
Mr Whitehead said: "There is clearly a background to this offending, he accepts the circumstances are not attractive but there has been no further trouble and lessons have been learned."
The Judge told Biles the case crossed the custody threshold but ruled it was better for him to be taught how to think before he acted instead of giving him a short sharp prison sentence.
She said: "It is clear you were acting without thinking, it is serious enough that you drove straight at Mr Pardoe but more serious because it involved innocent bystanders.
"You showed a complete lack of understanding for other people and it is clear you put them in fear."
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