A MAN who led a police pursuit in a stolen van, who was sprayed with pepper spray twice and reversed into a police car during his bid to escape, has been jailed.

Glen Dolan was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday for aggravated vehicle taking/dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and without insurance.

The court heard Dolan stole a Vauxhall Combo van from a building site at about 8.15am on July 16, but officers caught up with him just 45 minutes later, near Coombe Bissett, after tracking him using the van owner’s phone, which had been left in the cab.

Police cornered the vehicle in the post office car park and an officer ran to open the drivers door, but Dolan drove off with it open.

He was sprayed with pepper spray as he tried to escape.

Prosecuting, Tom Wright said Dolan then reversed at speed the entire length of the car park into the police car, pushing it out of the way.

Officers tried to incapacitate Dolan by spraying him again with pepper spray but he sped off down Homington Road.

The court heard he narrowly missed a woman in the car park, who had to jump out the way, and that during the pursuit Dolan smashed into a fence and two cars. In Drove Lane, police officers were behind the vehicle which was being driven “very erratically”.

Mr Wright said by this time Dolan was feeling the effect of the spray and was struggling to keep his eyes open. He then drove into a hedge, crashing the van.

Defending, Adam Norris said Dolan had a drug problem and had also been in a “toxic relationship”, and that he acknowledged he had made a “complete mess of his life up until now” and genuinely wants to change.

“He knows this would be the very last chance given to make that important change in his life,” Mr Norris added.

Dolan has 39 previous convictions for 116 offences, including theft, drugs and driving offences.

Judge Keith Cutler called it “a sad history of blatant offending” and questioned Dolan’s commitment to turning his life around. He added: “You had your last chance and that did not work. You can’t go around continuing to blame drugs or your partner or other people - it is you, it is you committing burglary. You’re the one committing crime and you’re the one now having to pay the price.

“You stole a vehicle then drove it around causing damage in outlining Coombe Bissett and Salisbury to the south, and ended up damaging the vehicle you were driving. You knew you had no licence and insurance and shouldn’t have been anywhere a motor vehicle.”

Dolan was also sentenced for two burglaries in Trowbridge and Warminster, the theft of a pedal cycle and possession of cocaine.

He was jailed for two years and banned from driving for three years.