Taxi driver smashed through airport barriers after being chased by boozed up van man

09.11.2022 - 17:03 / dailyrecord.co.uk

A drink-driving white van man terrorised a taxi driver causing him to smash through several airport barriers to escape. Bradley Iles, 25, was jailed for 13 months and banned from driving for 22 months after his booze-fuelled rampage behind the wheel.

The 25-year-old downed a bottle of vodka 'for no clear reason' before he began his altercation with the unsuspecting cabbie, Bristol Crown Court heard. The victim was travelling to collect a customer from Bristol Airport when Iles overtook him and slammed his brakes on.

The defendant's dangerous manoeuvre kickstarted a chilling chase on the A370 between the two, which included Iles stopping in front of the taxi and getting out to try and converse with the cabbie, reports Bristol Live.

When the victim declined to engage with the drunk Iles, he punched his vehicle before beginning the chase once again. The court heard that the chase continued all the way to the airport, where Iles continued his tirade by ramming the taxi driver.

Terrified by the whole ordeal, and the continued chase from the defendant, the taxi smashed through the entrance and exit barriers of the long stay car park to try and escape. Iles then relented his tirade before making his swift exit from the airport.

Police then found the 25-year-old later in Bristol city centre and arrested him after he failed a roadside breath test. A later test showed he was well over the limit of 35, with 71 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The court heard Iles, was previously of good character and had recently lost his gran, who he lived with and cared for. His mum Deborah told the court: "He's a very good kid, very helpful.

"He is sensitive, he tries to hide his feelings a lot. He's got a really kind heart and