An Ipswich man who was given a suspended prison sentence for crashing a works van after being sacked for failing a drugs test has been brought back to court after breaching the terms of the suspended sentence.

Michael Harrison, of Queens Way, Ipswich, admitted aggravated vehicle taking, common assault, racially aggravated threatening behaviour and assaulting three police officers.

In November last year he was given a 58 week prison sentence suspended for two years and banned from driving for 12 months.

He was also ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and given a 35 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

On Thursday (April 28) Harrison was back in the dock at Ipswich Crown Court and admitted failing to comply with the requirements of the suspended sentence by failing to attend appointments as instructed by the probation service on two occasions.

He was fined £75 and ordered to pay £200 costs and was warned by Recorder Douglas Edwards QC that if he breached the order again the suspended prison sentence could be activated.

At Harrison’s sentencing hearing in November the court heard that after testing positive for cocaine at the premises of Telec Networks in Bucklesham Road, Ipswich, Harrison was told he was being dismissed and was no longer allowed to drive his works van.

Harrison said he had a hospital appointment and needed to use the van and despite being offered a lift to hospital he announced: “I’m taking it.”

He had then got into the driver’s seat of the vehicle and drove towards the exit.

While the HR manager was calling the police she heard a loud screeching noise and a bang and discovered that the van Harrison was driving had collided with a pick-up vehicle causing a total of £18,000 damage to both vehicles.

Harrison had driven off without stopping and the van was later found abandoned.

The court heard that police had also been called to an address in Ipswich after residents saw Harrison punch his former partner in the face after she tried to stop him driving after he’d been drinking.

When officers arrived, Harrison had tried to get away, but when that was unsuccessful, he had become violent and punched a woman police officer in the face and then put his hands round the throat of another female officer leaving her struggling for breath.

Harrison was put in a police van and had been racially abusive to a police officer.