A police officer has spoken of his 'death sentence' after being dragged along a main road by a drunk mum in a Range Rover. Candace Desilva shouted "you're not stopping me" before driving away with the PC clinging to the side of her 4x4, later pleading: "I just wanna go home to my children."
Injuries and impact
The Matrix roads policing officer now works a desk job due to permanent injuries, still using a crutch nearly two years later and unable to return to frontline duties. A judge described Desilva's actions as "absolutely appalling" but spared her prison because of her neurodivergent children.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that on September 14 2024, PC Simon Ward pulled Desilva over on Leeds Street after she was seen using a mobile phone and performing an illegal U-turn. The 37-year-old had glazed eyes and slurred speech, with roadside tests showing 90 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, well above the 35 microgram limit.
Incident details
Prosecutor Nardeen Nemat detailed how PC Ward requested a female colleague to search Desilva, but when told none was available, she said: "See, there is nobody else coming. You're not f***ing searching me. I'm going. You can't stop me." She then started the engine and drove forward, with PC Ward fearing for a mum pushing a pram nearby.
The officer grabbed the steering wheel to avoid being dragged underneath, his feet lifted off the ground as Desilva struck out, causing lacerations to his fingers and hand. He deployed PAVA spray into her eyes, but she told her passenger to put the car into sport mode, leading to both women being sprayed.
Victim's statement
In a statement read to the court, PC Ward said: "I would have always said I was a confident, laid back, self reliant man. Following the 14th of September 2024, I could no longer say that." He described the incident as making him "a vulnerable shell of a man" and noted he has registered as disabled.
He added: "I've always been a physically and mentally strong person. I served the RAF for nine years as a medic... I joined Merseyside Police in 2019. I fought for this country and its values. Being a police officer brought me pride and contentment."
PC Ward described permanent nerve damage as "soul destroying" and said: "I'm in constant pain, day and night. This almost feels like a death sentence... To drag another human being, let alone a police officer, along with a vehicle tells me that she's above the law."
Body camera footage
Footage played in court showed Desilva shouting "What is that spray?" and later saying "I just wanna go home to my children" upon arrest. She resisted arrest by throwing herself to the floor, scraping handcuffs down a second officer's forearm. She had previously been fined for drink driving and using a mobile phone.
Defence and sentence
Charles Lander, defending, said Desilva is a mum of four, with two children having special educational needs. He noted she had voluntarily registered with Alcoholics Anonymous and NHS talking therapies, and had not drunk alcohol since the incident. He also mentioned her partner's affair and the arrival of his child from Bermuda.
Desilva admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and assaulting an emergency worker. She received a 28-month imprisonment suspended for two years, with 140 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement. She was also banned from driving for three years and must pass an extended retest.
Sentencing, Judge Garrett Byrne said: "You were over the legal limit, considerably so... Your behaviour here was absolutely appalling. Your reckless actions did not just cause serious and permanent injuries to a public servant... but you could have killed him." He added: "There is one matter and one matter alone that weighs in favour of suspension, and that is this. That you have four children, two of whom have special needs."
