A TRANSSEXUAL who drove at a police officer on the New Ferry by-pass following a dispute with his wife was jailed for 12 months and banned from driving for two years.

Two weeks after this offence, Neville Shaw, who prefers to be known as Beverley Shaw, breached bail by trying to see his four-year-old daughter at the former marital home in New Ferry, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

Shaw raced away from two police vehicles at speed and in the ensuing chase accidentally rammed the police car in front and then reversed into the car behind in an attempt to get away, causing more than £1,000 in damage.

A female officer suffered whiplash, and police searching Shaw's car found almost 20g of cannabis, said Mr Michael Abelson, defending.

Shaw, 30, who now lives in Liverpool, denied the first charge of dangerous driving but was convicted after a trial, admitted a second charge of dangerous driving and also possessing cannabis.

Judge Bryn Holloway told Shaw, who appeared in the dock in earrings and flared trousers, that the jury had concluded he deliberately drove at PC Gary Heighway who had been in the middle of the road.

"The jury clearly came to the view that you saw the officer there and in high dudgeon because of a dispute with your wife you deliberately drove at him and left the scene with him having to dive out of the way to avoid being hit."

Later that day there were difficulties with police officers and he was prepared to admit there was some undue rough treatment so far as Shaw was concerned, he said.

"But that doesn't justify you driving in a dangerous fashion two weeks later. I'm sorry, whatever the problems you have, and they are legion, this piece of driving is so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified."

Shaw's counsel, Mr Thomas Somerville, said that Shaw's concern for his cerebral-palsied daughter, Jasmine, had been the catalyst for the offences.

Shaw was a devoted parent and his concerns that his wife, Juliette Shaw, would not be capable of looking after the child were well founded, he said.

She and the social services now accepted she cannot look after the child, and Jasmine is now in Ireland being cared for by a relative, said Mr Somerville.

On the second occasion, Shaw had breached bail in order to see Jasmine and there was an element of entrapment on his wife's part after it had been arranged for Shaw to collect her, he said.

Shaw was suffering post traumatic stress and having nightmares and flashbacks following his arrest a fortnight earlier, and panicked and dashed off when he saw the police, he said.

Shaw, "who is going through hormone treatment and dressing and thinking like a woman," was awaiting his final operation, said Mr Somerville. Shaw, who apologised for what had taken place, can expect a very difficult time in custody, he added.

During his trial, Shaw was acquitted of holding a diver's knife to the throat of his wife, a former model, at the house they shared in Portbury Walk, on July 13, last year.

After that alleged incident, Shaw fled the house and "drove like a nutter", almost hitting PC Heighway.

He told the court he left the house when he heard police were coming because "I didn't really want to mix with anyone in authority when wearing a purple two-piece outfit. I would have been arrested."

Two weeks later, after going to Portbury Walk to collect Jasmine, he was involved in a high-speed chase along the New Ferry by-pass, where the police car in front ended up on the central reservation following the collision.

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