Haringey: Man arrested for injuring police officer

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A “dangerous” man who deliberately reversed his car into a police officer’s motorcycle to avoid arrest, leaving him seriously injured, has been jailed for four years – with the shocking incident caught on the victim’s bodycam. Afterwards Detective Chief Inspector Lee Hill, who heads up the Metropolitan Police’s Violent Crime Taskforce, said the case should serve as a lesson to anyone assaulting emergency workers that they would inevitably be brought to justice.

Joseph Ward, 24, of Green Street, Royston, Hertfordshire, was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court yesterday.

He had previously pleaded guilty to 14 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, impersonating a police officer, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police.

On 1 July 2022, Met Police officer Inspector Tony McGovern, from the Violent Crime Taskforce, was on a motorcycle patrol in Haringey when he became spotted a car, which was being driven by Ward, at the junction of Upton Road and Woolmer Road.

Insp McGovern was suspicious about how the driver was behaving and subsequently spoke with Ward through his driver-side window after the car came to a stop.

However, Ward suddenly pulled forward and instantly reverse-rammed into Insp McGovern, before driving off at speed.

Insp McGovern called for urgent assistance from other officers and was taken to hospital with injuries to his legs, shoulders and back.

He said: “I have been a police officer for 18 years and I never expected to be deliberately rammed off my motorbike in such a violent and aggressive act.

“I continue to recover from the injuries I suffered that day. However I remain determined to serve the people of London and remove violent and dangerous offenders from the streets.”

An urgent investigation was launched and Ward was identified as the driver. Officers discovered he was already wanted for an offence on 23 June 2022 when he posed as a police officer and demanded money from another driver on Eade Road, N4.

After a complex manhunt, Ward was later arrested in Letchworth in Hertfordshire, on 20 July 2022.

Investigators later connected him with two other offences, including on July 5 2022 when he was involved in a collision in Crouch Hill and on July 6, 2022, when he failed to stop for police on Goat Lane in Enfield, and damaged two police cars.

As a result of the evidence collected by investigators and following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Ward was charged on 21 July 2022 with 14 separate offences.

Det Chf Supt Hill, who leads the Violent Crime Taskforce, said: “Joseph Ward is a dangerous man and I have no doubt that he would have gone on to commit more offences.

“I am pleased that he has received a custodial sentence and I praise Tony for his outstanding bravery.

“Our officers work tirelessly to protect the public from violent crime and we will never tolerate any form of assault on emergency workers, whose job it is to protect the public.”

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