Brad Roy Keith Beck rammed a police car twice during a pursuit at Gawler

A tradie who found himself in a dead-end street during a pursuit rammed a police car with such force that it lifted the car off the ground, a court has heard.

A man rammed a police car with such force it lifted off the ground and left the officer inside with lasting injuries, a court heard.

Brad Roy Keith Beck, 26, faced sentencing submissions in the Adelaide District Court on Monday, after he “panicked” during a police pursuit.

Georgina Grosset, for the prosecution, previously told the court Beck reversed his car twice into a marked police car, with activated emergency lights and sirens, on February 26, 2021 at Gawler.

“The force of the impact or two impacts was such that the police officer … was unable to continue a pursuit of the defendant,” Ms Grosset said.

The court previously heard Beck rammed the police vehicle with such force that the officer felt it lift off the ground.

The court heard the police officer suffered from headaches, discomfort, neck pain and lower back pain as a result of the incident.

Ms Grosset said Beck’s criminal history showed a “clear pattern” of driving unlicensed, evading police and resisting police.

Beck, of Para Hills West, pleaded guilty to recklessly causing harm to a prescribed emergency worker.

Brad Beck will be sentenced for causing harm to a police officer. Picture: Lucy Rutherford

Hannah Hannaford Gunn, for Beck, told the court his girlfriend asked him to pick her up from work at the Gawler Reject Shop on the day of the offending because she had been verbally abused by a customer.

“He knew he shouldn’t be driving because he didn’t have a current driver’s licence, however his girlfriend was upset and he wanted to support her,” she said.

The court heard while driving home they came across the man who abused Beck’s girlfriend and there was an altercation.

The police officer witnessed this and followed Beck.

“Mr Beck was shaken up after the interaction with the man and was eager to return home after what had been a volatile interaction,” Ms Hannaford Gunn said.

Beck then turned into a dead-end street and stopped the car.

“After both vehicles stopped, Mr Beck’s actions thereafter in reversing his own vehicle were a futile effort to avoid apprehension,” Ms Hannaford Gunn said.

“He panicked, he didn’t set out to harm or scare (the police officer).”

The court heard Beck had been using marijuana on a daily basis at the time of the offending but now had been abstinent for over a year.

The court heard Beck, who works in the construction industry, had written a letter of apology to the officer.

Judge Rauf Soulio will sentence Beck in September.