Man jailed following Warrington rampage

A man who went on a rampage across the streets of Warrington has been jailed.

Ryan Brennan appeared at Liverpool Crown court on Monday 22 November where he was sentenced to five years in prison.

He was also handed a three-year driving ban which will begin on his release from custody.

The 39-year-old of Waterside, Appleton, had earlier pleaded guilty to a number of offences, including dangerous driving, threats to kill, affray, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without a licence or insurance.

The incident began on Thursday 19 August when Brennan had been celebrating with his partner, drinking and taking illegal drugs ahead of his birthday the following day.

He woke up in the early hours of Friday 20 August and left the house in the family car, a Nissan Juke.

A short time later, at 6.23am, Brennan was involved in a collision with a Volkswagen Polo on Capesthorne Road.

It was alleged that Brennan purposely drove his car in the back of the victim’s VW Polo in a fit of rage. Following the crash, he got out of his car and threatened the driver of the Polo with a knife.

In a bid to escape from the scene, he then went on to threaten other motorists with the knife – demanding that they gave him their cars.

While some of the victims were able to escape, Brennan managed to steal a black BMW from a 54-year-old woman who was attending the post office in the local area.

He then proceeded to drive the stolen car along Poplars Avenue, before colliding with a fence near to Toll Bar Road, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian who was out walking his dog.

Brennan then made off from the scene on foot in an attempt to get away from officers, he then began making threats towards them with a knife, but was quickly arrested on Winwick Road, Warrington.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Leah Greenacre, the officer in charge of the case, said: “This was an absolutely terrifying ordeal for all those involved and I welcome the guilty plea entered by Brennan.

“He is clearly a dangerous individual and the sentence handed to him today reflects the severity of his actions.

“Throughout the incident the manner of his driving was also totally abhorrent and it was only by sheer chance that nobody was killed or seriously injured as a result of his actions.

“During his rampage Brennan verbally abused and physically attacked a number of people, and for them the incident doesn’t just end there, it has a lasting effect.

“I want to thank the victims and witnesses in the case for having the strength to support the prosecution case. The community spirit shown throughout this incident in helping protect each other was heart-warming to see.”