A motorist who sent pedestrians scattering as he drove through busy Huddersfield streets in the early hours of the morning believed he was Prince Harry and was in danger of being shot, a court heard.
Benjamin Watson suffered from mental illness and after being assaulted while he was out for the evening was “stuck in a manic phase,” his barrister Steven Crossley told Leeds Crown Court yesterday.
“He was under the genuine impression he was Prince Harry and was going to be shot and so he got into his van and drove, that is utterly consistent with what he told police at the time.”
Mr Crossley said Watson was sectioned under the Mental Health Act within a couple of days of his arrest but had since recovered.
He had never done anything like it before and normally had a good relationship with the mental health team.
He urged the court to take into account that the unusual situation was as a result of Watson’s “distorted perception” through his illness at that time.
Georgina Coade prosecuting told the court at 2.40am on May 12 this year Watson drove a Ford Transit van the wrong way up King Street including a pedestrianised area.
He was revving the engine and contravened a No Entry sign. There were a large number of people around and a number had to move out of his way.
He drove up to the junction with Queen Street where he screeched to a halt before driving along that road, narrowly avoiding a collision with a taxi.
Members of the public were shouting for police and one officer tried to stop Watson and had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by him.
When she tried to open the nearside door of the van he sped off on to Cross Church Street again forcing pedestrians to get out of his way.
Miss Coade said at one point Watson mounted the pavement and went through two red lights before he finally came to a halt in the middle of the road blocking three lanes.
He then got out and lay down on the ground saying: “I’m Prince Harry, I give up.”
When taken into custody he was found to be over the drink drive limit with 57 microgrammes in his breath, the limit being 35.
Watson, 32 of Dalton Fold Road, Dalton, Huddersfield, admitted dangerous driving and driving over the alcohol limit.
He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and disqualified from driving for two years.
Judge James Spencer QC said he accepted Watson had a long standing psychiatric problem.
“It is apparently well controlled by medication and supervision from your psychiatric support but on this occasion it seems to have become uncontrolled and you lapsed into a manic state and as a consequence you drove dangerously and when you were over the excess alcohol limit.”
