Drug dealer who crashed car while two officers hung onto side jailed for four years

A man who reversed and crashed a vehicle while two police officers hung onto the side has been jailed for four years.  

Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday 6 February, Josef Zielinski, 33, of Arboretum Place, Barking, Greater London, was jailed for four years as well as being given a three-year driving ban for drugs, driving and other offences.

Fortunately, the officers only suffered minor injuries, when on 8 November last year Zielinski decided to reverse his vehicle after being stopped in Sudbury in relation to possible drug offences.

He smashed into a vehicle behind that had stopped, damaging both vehicles, before he was arrested.  

Officers had earlier spotted a vehicle which intelligence from members of the public had linked to the supply of drugs in Sudbury.

Two officers in a police car stopped the vehicle and tried to engage with the driver, Zielinski.

Shortly after PC Owen Turner had opened the driver’s door, Zielinski put the vehicle into reverse.

PC Turner was forced to jump into the vehicle and hang onto the side, while his colleague, PC Steven Coughlan, was knocked over and dragged by the vehicle as it reversed and then crashed into a stationary vehicle behind it.

PC Turner turned the vehicle off however Zielinski turned it back on, before he was removed from the vehicle and detained.

Officers conducted a search of the vehicle, with ten wraps of cocaine located under the vehicle which Zielinski had discarded during the struggle.

Zielinski was taken into custody and was later charged with a number of offences, pleading guilty at court in December. He was sentenced on 6 February to the following:

Possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (cocaine) - two years and nine months

Dangerous driving - one year and three months (to be served consecutively)

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm - 17 weeks (to be served concurrently)

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm - 17 weeks (to be served concurrently)

Criminal damage – nine weeks (to be served concurrently)

PC Turner, who was shown in body-worn and dash camera footage hanging onto the side of Zielinski’s car as it reversed and then crashed, said: “I conduct vehicle stops daily and what I thought would be a simple stop left me thinking that I might die and that my colleague and friend was either seriously injured or dead.

“What Zielinski did showed his only desire was to escape, with no regard for anyone other than himself. This is something that I will never forget and it will stay with me forever.”

PC Coughlan, who was dragged down the road, said: “As I grabbed the door handle, he started to reverse.

“I was pulled along with the wheel burning through my trousers and through to my knee, however I couldn’t let go as I would have been thrown under the wheel.  

“This incident resulted in scarring, a hospital visit and rib injuries, while my mobile phone was completely destroyed. I had to take time off work to recover from the injuries I suffered and the pain it left me in.

“I’m just really pleased that neither of us were more seriously injured and that we still managed to detain him and bring a successful result for our residents and the force.”