'Sometimes I have nightmares about him': 'Disgusting' man, 32, spat on his ex and drove a car at her in Shifnal
A “disgusting” man who spat on his ex-girlfriend, drove a car at her and crashed has been handed a suspended jail sentence.
Ryan Heath, aged 32, forced his former partner to swerve out of the way and crashed into her friend’s car in Shifnal in a moment of madness.
That came months after they had split up and he spat on her when she went round to his place to pick up her belongings.
Shrewsbury Crown Court, sitting at Telford Justice Centre, was told that Heath and the victim were in a relationship for around 11 years before they split in 2023.
A week before Christmas of that year, she went to his house to fetch some items when he unloaded a mouthful of germs in her direction.
Around five months later, on May 17, 2024, the victim had been to The Red Lion pub in Bun Lane, Shifnal with a friend when she saw Heath in the car park.
He asked her if she was going in for a drink, but she and the friend got into their cars to drive away.
When she was in her car, Heath drove at speed towards her. She swerved out of the way and Heath hit her friend’s car, damaging the wing mirror.
"Sometimes I have nightmares about him."
Heath’s ex said in a victim impact statement that her mental health had taken “a significant hit”, finds her heart “racing” and struggles with anxiety.
“Sometimes I have nightmares about him,” she said. “I have a fear of going out. I have trouble with my sleep.”
Heath, of Haygate Drive, Wellington, Telford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and assault by beating, in relation to the spitting incident.
He has one previous conviction for two offences - driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Paul Smith, mitigating, described Heath as “a decent, hard-working young man,” adding: “He got himself into quite a lot of emotional difficulty.”
Judge Deni Mathews told Heath: “There are few things more disgusting than spitting.”
He handed Heath a 30-week jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Heath was also disqualified from driving for 13 months and ordered to pay £600 in compensation to the woman’s friend whose car he damaged as well as £1,000 in prosecution costs.
Judge Mathews also made Heath subject of a five-year restraining order, banning him from contacting the victim.