Furious Father Treated Campsite Like Rally Course

A man drove around a camp site “like a rally driver” with his children in the back after arguing with and punching his own father.

Ryan Harrowing, 27, narrowly missed a tent where children were sleeping during the episode at the Mad Hatter’s Campsite, in Second Drove, Queen Adelaide, near Ely, on 7 August last year.

He had earlier argued with his father and then punched him numerous times in the head and chest.

Harrowing then put two of his children in his Volkswagen Golf and drove dangerously around the site. Witnesses described how he drove between tents and on grass footpaths at relatively high speed.

At one point a mother was concerned he was driving towards a tent where her children were sleeping, so stood between it and the car, causing Harrowing to swerve and narrowly miss her.

When police arrived, he tried to drive across a field in an attempt to get away, but his vehicle got stuck in the mud and he was arrested.

Harrowing, of Waveney Road, Hunstanton, went on to admit assault causing actual bodily harm and dangerous driving.

At Cambridge Crown Court Harrowing was sentenced to ten months in prison, suspended for two years, and disqualified from driving for two years. He was also ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work, 30 days of rehabilitation activity and pay the victim of the assault £685 compensation.

PC Joe Braddick said: “Harrowing’s behaviour that day was inexplicable and utterly reckless. He drove around a crowded area like a rally driver with no thought to the harm he could do.

“He narrowly missed a number of members of the public, coming so close to one woman that he knocked her flipflop off.

“Thankfully nobody was injured but it could have easily been much worse.”

Cambridgeshire Constabulary have recently released a podcast which demonstrates the tragic consequences dangerous driving can have. You can listen to this on their YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/TREoxS3YTXA