Colchester, UK – Joseph Wicks, 27, has been jailed for four years and six months after striking three pedestrians with a car and later being found hiding under a bed.

Wicks was identified as the driver of a Fiat 500 that mounted the pavement and hit three people in Queen Street during the early hours of November 30 last year. He had driven aggressively through the city centre, traveling the wrong way along one-way streets, narrowly missing people, speeding along narrow roads and ignoring red traffic lights.

After hitting the pedestrians outside a nightclub, Wicks drove away and abandoned the car in Wivenhoe Quay. None of the victims suffered serious injuries. His fingerprints were recovered from the vehicle.

Wicks later became the subject of a stalking and harassment investigation. On May 8 this year, he allegedly attended a woman’s address, shouting, swearing, banging on the front door and demanding entry. A man who approached Wicks’ van reported seeing a metal baseball bat and what appeared to be a handgun.

Armed officers searched several addresses linked to Wicks. On May 11, they found him hiding underneath an Ottoman bed at a property in Colchester after multiple people inside denied seeing him.

Wicks admitted all charges except possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, which he denied. Prosecutors left that charge on file.

He was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on July 31 and was also disqualified from driving for two years and six months.

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