A MAN from Midsomer Norton has been jailed for four years after admitting two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Macauley Tomlinson, 26, appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Tuesday, May 31).

The court gave him credit for an early guilty plea.

He was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, May 1 after failing to stop for officers responding to reports that a woman had been pulled into a vehicle.

Police were called about the incident in Hotwells Road, Bristol, at about 11:50pm on Saturday, April 30.

Tomlinson drove at speed through the city centre, colliding with two pedestrians after running a red light onto St Augustine’s Parade.

One of them was carried on the bonnet of his silver Ford Kuga for around 100 metres.

He carried on, joining the M32 where there was a collision involving a taxi and one of the police vehicles involved in the pursuit.

Tomlinson’s vehicle was then stopped on the Wellsway at Keynsham by officers who deployed a stinger device to puncture its tyres.

He tried to escape on foot, but he was tracked by a National Police Air Service helicopter and detained by officers on the ground.

A male passenger in the taxi sustained significant physical injuries, and it took two hours for the 34-year-old to be freed from the vehicle.

He is still recovering from serious injuries to his pelvis, hip, and wrist after two operations.

His pregnant partner, 36, was also trapped in the car.

She did not lose the pregnancy but continues to suffer back pain.

The taxi driver, a 38-year-old man, suffered whiplash and has ongoing back pain.

The 19-year-old woman carried on his bonnet following the collision after Tomlinson ran a red light fractured her tibia and suffered grazing and bruising, exacerbating a pre-existing medical condition.

Her boyfriend, also 19, was thrown around one metre by the impact, giving him cuts, bruises, and a facial scar.

Avon and Somerset Police constable Andy Smetham said: “Tomlinson was driving at speeds of up to 80mph on city centre roads busy with pedestrians on a Saturday night.

“He reached 120mph on the M32.

“He failed to stop even after colliding with two pedestrians and carrying a young woman around 100 metres on his bonnet.

“In fact, he swerved the car trying to dislodge her as she clung to the windscreen wiper.

“Tomlinson’s actions changed everything for five innocent people: a couple who should be preparing for the arrival of their first child, teenagers who should be pursuing their university studies, and a man who has lost his livelihood.

“I hope this sentence will enable them to start rebuilding their lives.”

The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to police involvement prior to the collisions.

The IOPC directed that there should be a local investigation, which continues.