A MAN who tried to kill his mother in a car crash by grabbing the steering wheel as she drove, has been jailed indefinitely Peter Andrew Senior, aged 29, of Rydal Close, Bury, told police he intended to crash his mother Maureen Allen’s car into a roadside ditch and kill her or put her into intensive care. York Crown Court heard Ms Allen managed to bring the car to a halt in a lay-by on the A64 near York, but her son got out and — high on amphetamine and in a suicidal mood — walked towards oncoming traffic just before the afternoon rush hour one day in November last year.

Ms Allen phoned police and they arrested Senior after setting up a rolling road block to prevent cars from running him down, said Howard Shaw, prosecuting. She told police he may have substituted the amphetamine for the medication he should have taken for his mental health problems.

Senior pleaded guilty to attempted grievous bodily harm with intent to his mother. He was on a suspended sentence at the time for hitting a young woman in Bath, and had a previous conviction for trying to strangle his then girlfriend.

Passing an indefinite sentence for public protection, the Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, told Senior: “You are an extremely dangerous man. You present a danger very much to yourself, but in particular to those who are close to you, members of your family and those with whom you form intimate relationships.”

Senior must serve 893 days before he can apply for parole. He has been in custody since his arrest on November 2 last year.

Defending, Caroline Addy said Senior had acted on the spur of the moment and he would not have been able to live with himself had he harmed his mother. He had had a difficult background which he coped with by taking drugs. He also had personality disorders.

He had hesitated very slightly during the incident and that gave his mother the chance to control the car.

Detective Constable Tracey Lumb, of North Yorkshire Police, said outside court: “It is only by sheer good fortune that nobody was killed or seriously injured in this incident. It was an extremely reckless act which put not only his mother at risk but also other motorists on the road at the time and Peter Senior himself.

“He is lucky that he wasn’t in court facing more serious charges. Hopefully he will spend his time in prison reflecting on his actions and the devastation they could have caused to his mother, the general public and himself.”