A THIRTY eight year old man has appeared in court facing a string of charges in relation to an incident of dangerous driving in Chard and Yeovil where two police vehicles were damaged and an officer left injured.

Kevin Ronald Owen Lamb, formerly known as Cutts, was allegedly at the wheel of a recovery truck when he was said to have deliberately reversed it into a police vehicle causing a vehicle which was loaded on the back to roll off and collide with the marked patrol car.

He then allegedly got into a 4x4 vehicle and reversed that into another police car causing an injury to the driver.

The defendant was brought before Somerset Magistrates in custody after being arrested following the incident on Saturday.

He was also alleged to have committed an offence of sexual assault during a separate incident at Axminster in July.

Lamb, of Silver Street, Chard, was charged that on August 12 at Chard he drove a red Daf flatbed truck dangerously on Chardstock Lane.

He was also alleged to have taken the vehicle without the owner’s consent, and before it was recovered it reversed round a marked police car, during which a black Citroen C5 fell from the truck onto the marked police vehicle.

Lamb was also charged with a second offence of aggravated vehicle taking involving a 4x4 blue Ford Maverick on August 12 and was also alleged to have driven that dangerously on Green Lane in Yeovil on the same date.

The defendant was also charged that on July 21 at Axminster he intentionally touched a woman aged 16 or over which was sexual when she did not consent.

Lamb did not enter pleas to any of the offences and the magistrates said the allegations were so serious that he must be sent to Taunton Crown Court to be dealt with.

They adjourned all matters until September 18 when he was ordered to appear before a pre trial hearing at Taunton.

In the meantime the magistrates agreed to release Lamb on conditional bail.

However prosecutor Christine Hart made an immediate appeal against his release and the defendant was told he would instead be remanded in custody until a further bail appeal hearing before a judge in chambers at the earliest possible opportunity.