A 19-year-old Angus man, who admitted endangering the lives of six police officers trying to stop him driving around in a “borrowed” tractor/digger, was yesterday told he was fortunate not to have been facing charges of attempted murder.

Jason Dean Stephen, Midgrip Cottages, Hillside, by Montrose, appeared from custody before Sheriff Norrie Stein and admitted that on March 30, on the A935 Montrose to Brechin road, on the unclassified Glenskinno Farm road, on Dubton Road and on other roads, he drove away a tractor/digger while disqualified and without insurance and did so while subject to two bail orders imposed at Stonehaven Sheriff Court on April 20 and Arbroath Sheriff Court last month.

Stephen also admitted:

Assaulting and endangering the life of police officer Jonathan Neate by driving the tractor/ digger through a closed gate at his car, obliging him to drive off to avoid a collision and pursuing the car with the digger arms activated in an attempt to strike the car;

Assaulting and endangering the life of Sergeant Ewen Mackintosh, who was on foot, obliging him to jump out of the way, and driving between police vehicles occupied by PC Neate and fellow officers Susan Falconer, Simon Carter, Colin Cunningham and Harvey Birse, with the digger arms activated and attempting to strike their vehicles;

Driving the tractor/digger at PC Neate’s car, obliging him to reverse at speed then exit the vehicle, then driving at PC Neate when he was on foot, obliging him to take refuge behind a car;

Driving at the car occupied by PCs Cunningham and Birse, obliging them to reverse and exit their vehicle, then pursuing them on foot so that they had to cross a field and climb into a garden to escape and activating the digger arms as PCs Cunningham and Birse approached the tractor/ digger and attempting to strike them.

Depute fiscal Hazel Anderson said PC Neate and Sergeant Mackintosh were the first to encounter Stephen when they passed him driving towards Brechin on the A935 and turned to pursue him.

She said, “As they neared the vehicle he turned into a field and drove across it and, as he seemed to have nowhere else to go, he manoeuvred back towards the A935.

“The officers got out of their vehicle and closed the metal field gate in an attempt to contain him but, accelerating and continually sounding his horn, he crashed through the gate and back on to the road.

“As the officers re-entered their vehicle, Stephen drove it directly towards it in an attempt to ram it and although PC Neate managed to turn out of his path he followed them as they tried to escape and attempted to strike their vehicle with the digger arms.

“Stephen then deliberately and aggressively reversed back along the road towards Sergeant Macintosh, who was again on foot, forcing him to run into a field to avoid being struck.

“Other police units had, by then, arrived and Stephen drove back and forth between PC Neate’s vehicle and one occupied by PCs Falconer and Cunningham attempting to ram them as they manoeuvred out of harm’s way.

“The vehicle occupied by the two officers then headed along the unclassified Pugeston road in an attempt to evade Stephen, with PC Neate’s vehicle following.

“The officers were trying to keep their distance as they didn’t know where Stephen was going to go next and they followed when he turned into the private Glenskinno Farm road.

“At the top of the road he tried to turn into a field but, finding he could not do so, he turned and drove at speed towards PC Neate’s vehicle.

“The officer had to reverse at speed back down the farm road but swerved into a roadside ditch and became inoperable, forcing the officer to get out.

“PC Neate ran into a adjoining field to attain safety and Stephen then drove directly at the car occupied by PCs Falconer and Cunningham. The two officers had to climb a wire fence to escape,” she added.

“Stephen then headed back towards Hillside and out of sight of the officers.

“Half an hour later the tractor/ digger was again traced emerging on to the Stracathro road at Woodside and Sergeant Carter and PC Birse followed it down a track into a wooded area.

“Stephen shouted obscenities at them and lowered his trousers and mooned at them, goading them to follow him.

“A short time later Stephen’s vehicle was seen reversing towards a row of cottages and attempting to cross a ditch, where it became stuck.

“Sergeant Carter and PC Birse approached on foot and Stephen again activated the front digger arms in an attempt to strike the officers.

“The doors of the tractor/ digger were found to be locked and Sergeant Carter smashed one of the windows with his baton before Stephen was placed under arrest.”

Mrs Anderson said Sergeant Carter required sutures to a cut he sustained in smashing the window and PCs Neate and Cunningham had sore knees as a result of their efforts to escape from Stephen.

Defence solicitor Hamish Watt said Stephen had been diagnosed as suffering from autism on the Asberger’s scale and also attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which meant that his thought processes were “generally totally illogical.”

Mr Watt said Stephen knew the difference between right and wrong but sometimes had difficulty in distinguishing which course of action to follow.

Deferring sentence until May 6 for the preparation of social inquiry and community service reports, an assessment of his suitability for a restriction of liberty order and for clinical psychologists’ reports, Sheriff Stein told Stephen that the public interest meant he would remain in custody in the meantime.

He said, “What you did on this occasion was frankly appalling and I wouldn’t have been surprised if you had been charged with attempted murder.”