A man from Tonyrefail has been jailed after running over a police officer.
Justin Evans, 30 from Tonyrefail was sentenced to three years and two months in prison when he appeared at Newport Crown Court on Thursday October 8. He was also disqualified from driving for five years.
Evans changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of wound/inflict grievous bodily harm without intent; he also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
This follows officers searching for a man in December 2025 who was wanted for shoplifting offences. Plain clothes officers spotted the wanted man in an Audi A4 in the Tonyrefail area. Officers blocked the car in and, while detaining the wanted, Evans reversed the car at speed. The officer became trapped between the Audi and the police car and suffered serious injuries.
Both Evans and the man fled the scene. The next day officers re-located the Audi at an address in the local area. When entering the address, they found Evans – alongside the wanted man – trying to hide in the kitchen.
Detective Constable Victoria Balzano said“The courage displayed by our officers is truly commendable, but it is important to recognise the profound impact these events have on the officers themselves, their families, and the wider community. Each officer is undoubtedly deeply affected by incidents such as these that officers face daily.
“Evans will now face a prison sentence that I hope reflects the severity of his actions.”
Cheif Superintendent Jason Rees said“I want to thank the team who worked so hard to secure a conviction which means that Evans is serving time behind bars, I also want to thank all of our officers who put themselves in harm’s way on a day to day basis, cases like this are a reminder of how dangerous policing can be, but also how we come together as a team when things like this happen”
