Telford man and teenager admit throwing bin from A442 bridge and hitting police car
A Telford man and a teenager have admitted throwing a bin from a bridge and hitting a police car on the A442.
Daniel Hodnett, 20, of Clock Tower Avenue, Wrockwardine Wood, Telford, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday (March 13).
Hodnett and the youth both pleaded guilty to six charges.
They included criminal damage recklessly endangering life, in relation to damage caused to a West Mercia Police patrol vehicle, and causing danger to road users, both on January 27, 2025.
They also admitted three charges of theft, and one of destroying property.
The case relates to an incident where a bin was thrown from a footbridge near the Wombridge Interchange on to the A442.
It hit a police vehicle and injured two officers.
Judge Anthony Lowe was urged to remit the case involving the youth to the youth court, but he said the matter was so serious he would want to make his own judgement at a sentencing hearing.
A youth sentence report was requested in relation to the 17-year-old, with a pre-sentence report ordered for Hodnett.
The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 1, and warned all options, including custody, would be open.
Addressing both he said: "What I am going to do is bring the matter back for sentence on May 1, so I will renew each of your bail until May 1."
Speaking to the youth he said: "But if I do decide it is a non-custodial disposal I will decide whether that should be dealt with by the youth court, or if I can deal with it with the powers I have got."
He added: "Count eight [criminal damage recklessly endangering life] is serious, age or not, and if people are damaging police vehicles being reckless to whether the lives of police officers are endangered there is no getting away from it, it is serious. But I need to know all the circumstances before I decide what the sentence is."