A MAN who crashed his van into four police cars after a high-speed chase onto the Prince of Wales Bridge has been jailed after a judge banded his behaviour "awful" and "shocking".

Matthew Woody-Jones, 34, of West Street, Bedminster, Bristol, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court today on the following charges:

  • Dangerous driving;
  • Criminal damage;
  • Driving while disqualified.

On the day of the offences - Thursday, April 6 - police officers were alerted to a silver Fort Transit van being driven towards Pontypool.

After following the van, officers activated their blue lights as the vehicle approached Newport, and a pursuit began.

The chase joined the M4 and a third police car joined the pursuit.

The officers followed the defendant as he weaved his van between lanes - with a fourth police car joining the pursuit.

The court heard that the defendant was travelling at speeds between 60 and 80mph during the chase. The road was wet and there was spray.

After driving onto the Prince of Wales Bridge, the defendant slammed on the brakes of the van.

Officers were forced to also brake, before the defendant drove off once more, colliding with a number of police cars.

Dashcam footage from the various police cars was shown to the court.

The poor driving conditions were apparent in the footage.

A second video showed officers attempting to box in the defendant’s van on the Prince of Wales Bridge, but he is seen to reverse and drive away.

A third clip shows him weaving between police cars on the bridge, before a final clip showed the van spinning into the barrier after being hit by a police car. It is then blocked in and the chase comes to an end.

The defendant was detained with the use of a Taser.

The pursuit took place over approximately 12 miles.

The damage to the four police cars was estimated at more than £56,000.

South Wales Argus: Matthew Woody-Jones rammed four police cars on the Prince of Wales Bridge

Woody-Jones has 33 previous convictions including:

  • Dangerous driving in 2009;
  • Driving while disqualified in 2018;
  • Driving without insurance in 2021.

In his defence, the court heard that Woody-Jones has an eight-year-old child.

"When he was followed," the defence said, "he panicked".

"He wanted to get back to England so that if he was remanded he could be in a prison near to where he lived.

"There were significant financial pressures in the household and his partner now faces eviction."

The judge, Recorder A Hammond, said: "This is not your first appearance before the courts.

"The footage is shocking. You place the officers in a desperately dangerous situation.

"South Wales has officers of such skill to protect the public from people like you.

"It was a prolonged period of awful driving with a deliberate disregard for the safety of other road users."

Recorder Hammond handed out the following sentences:

  • Dangerous driving – 16 months;
  • Criminal damage – eight months;
  • Driving while disqualified – four months.

All of the sentences are to run concurrently, making a total of 16 months in prison.

Woody-Jones would also be disqualified from driving for two years and eight months.

Superintendent Mike Richards, from Gwent Police's roads policing and specialist operations unit, said: “Matthew Woody-Jones drove dangerously on the M4 placing other road users directly at risk through his reckless actions.

“He refused to stop several times for officers when instructed to do so and was eventually brought to a halt on the M4 Prince of Wales bridge.

“Officers following his van used several tactics designed to keep motorists safe, including keeping his van on the M4 and away from public or residential areas.

“As he was disqualified from driving, he simply should not have been using a vehicle on the motorway that night.

“We’ll not tolerate behaviour that puts lives at risk on our roads and any motorist caught driving dangerously will be prosecuted.”