A drug dealer’s cocaine-fuelled rampage saw him ram his van into the homes of three of his ex-girlfriends and deliberately hit a car being driven by one of them.

Daniel Preston was under the influence when he rammed a car being driven by the mother of his child, whom he had just told he wanted to “work things out with”.

As she fled the scene in terror, he also struck the front wall outside her house.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Preston then drove to the addresses of two other exes and rammed into their houses too, reports StokeonTrentLive.

Those incidents happened a year after he was caught for his part in a large-scale cannabis operation.

The court heard Preston’s co-defendants, Lucas Maddox and Josef Beeston, were stopped by unmarked police in August 2021, driving towards Newcastle on the A34.

Officers seized cannabis which then led them to an address in Stone and Preston was arrested.

Now 30-year-old Preston has been sentenced to six years in jail, while Beeston, 26, has been locked up for 28 months, and Maddox was handed a suspended sentence.

Prosecutor Nick Tatlow said Preston had been in a relationship with the mother of his child for five years and he asked her to his house to “make things better between them” on August 9, 2022.

Mr Tatlow added: “She told him she wanted to leave. He said he couldn’t find his keys to open the door, but he helped her out through a window.

“He was talking nonsense. He told her he’d taken cocaine. As she sat in her car she saw him walk towards her – she shouted at him to go away.

“He went to his car and drove off. She drove away and saw him turn left. He rammed her car. She was petrified.

“She sounded her horn. He pushed into other cars and the front wall of her house. He drove away.

“The police were called at 11.17pm. Three other cars had been damaged.”

The court heard that between about 3am and 3.30am in the early hours of August 10, 2022 he went to another ex’s house in Stoke.

Mr Tatlow said: “He went to Spode Street where another former partner lived. They had an on-off relationship. He didn’t take the break up well. He rammed the vehicle into the front of her house.

“The collision woke her and she heard him drive away. She could see parts of the car left behind and that her house had been damaged.

“The defendant drove to Wakefield Road [where another ex partner lived] and rammed his vehicle into the front of her house. She saw him driving away. She called the police. He was obviously drunk. He was arrested.”

Mr Tatlow said police stopped a car driving towards Newcastle on the A34 on August 8, 2021.

He said: “It was driven by Josef Beeston with Lucas Maddox as the front seat passenger.”

When stopped, officers smelled cannabis, and a large amount worth more than £1,000 was found in the back.

Both men were arrested, and another bag worth £510 was found in Beeston’s underwear.

The car was registered to Beeston’s address on Albert Street, Stone.

When officers visited, they saw a woman enter, then leave, and put something in the backseat of her car.

Police cuffed her and detained her for a drug search. C

annabis was found in the containers in the car, which had all three defendants’ prints on them.

Preston then came out of the address, holding a bag, which he dropped in the gutter.

He complied with a command to come towards the officers but was then uncooperative and had to be restrained.

The woman used this to her advantage, and ran away, still handcuffed. Mr Tatlow continued: “The cannabis in the car had a potential retail value of £13,000 to £16,000. It had been grown in the house.”

The court heard police then visited Preston’s address at Victoria Street, Stone, and found cannabis worth up to £24,000.

Messages were found on the phone of Maddox relating to selling cannabis.

When arrested, Preston and Beeston made no comment, whereas Maddox said some of the cannabis found in the car on the A34 was his, but would not say where it had come from. He said that he used £10 worth of cannabis a day.

Preston, of Victoria Street, Stone, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

He also admitted driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, and criminal damage for the other offences.

Beeston, of Queen Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Maddox, of Beaconsfield Drive, Newcastle-under-Lyme, both admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Rob Holt, mitigating for Preston, said: “He has spent a substantial period of time in custody.

“He has made no attempt to minimise his involvement. He faced financial difficulties in the first lockdown.

“He was a self-employed tree surgeon and work was no longer able to continue. He was not eligible for support from the state.

“He had bills to pay and a child. He lost his way and resorted to growing cannabis with a view to raising funds.

“His relationship broke down and he lost his child to the care of the maternal grandparents.

“He has a good entrepreneurial flair. When released he plans to move out of the area.”

Stuart Muldoon, mitigating for Beeston, said: “He’s fully aware of the position he’s placed himself in. He’s disappointed that he has offended in respect of his involvement with Class B drugs.

“He was 24 at the time of this. He can now reflect and look back.

“He faced trauma when he was a young person aged 11 or 12.

“He was taken from the family home and couldn’t support his mum.”

Andrew Molloy, mitigating for Maddox, said: “To his credit, despite taking cocaine he was able to rid himself of that particular habit.

“He has managed to reduce his intake of cannabis. His goal is abstinence from that.

“He has a very supportive and loving family. He has a full time job as a driver at Dunelm.”

As well as being jailed, Preston was banned from driving for 67 months and must undertake an extended test.

Judge Graeme Smith told him: “You were under the influence of drink and drugs. It was very dangerous – there was risk of harm to your former partner who was driving her car when it was rammed by you. Your role [with the cannabis] is a leading role.”

Sentencing Beeston, Judge Smith said: “You have not learned from your past behaviour. Your role is a significant one.

“It’s not clear what the dynamics were between you and Preston with the grow on Albert Street.”

Maddox was sentenced to nine months, suspended for 12 months, 20 rehabilitation activity days, and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Smith told him: “It’s acceptable that you had a lesser role in the events that took place. You acted as a middle man.”

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