A woman who narrowly avoided hitting a police officer as she crashed her BMW into a police car has been sentenced. 

A judge described mum-of-two Michaela Copeland’s behaviour as “utterly disgraceful” after she refused to stop for police then accelerated towards a police officer when she became stuck in traffic. 

Coperland, 32, of Weston Street in Bermondsey, was driving to Kingston Crown Court in August 2022 when officers became concerned about her driving and the state of her car. 

They made two attempts to stop her in Vauxhall but she refused to pull over, a court heard. 

Rather than engage in a high-speed chase, police followed Copeland and monitored her from a distance until she became stuck in a traffic jam. 

But when a police officer got out and stood in front of her car Copeland put her foot on the accelerator, narrowly missing the officer and crashing into the police car. 

As she was arrested Copeland put on a “ridiculous display of outrage and distress”, a judge said. 

The mum-of-two was arrested but denied dangerous driving. 

She claimed she’d had traumatic experiences with police before and that this was why she behaved as she did.   

Last month she was found guilty of dangerous driving by a jury at Inner London Crown Court. 

Judge Benedict Kelleher, sentencing Copeland on Monday (July 29), said: “Your behaviour was utterly disgraceful.” 

In mitigation, the court heard that Copeland had not been in trouble with police since the incident and was newly pregnant. 

But after hearing that Copeland had no proof that she was pregnant, Judge Kelleher said: “You claim you are pregnant. I don’t believe that. You told the pre-sentence report author that you are not in a relationship. I think it is highly likely that you are attempting to effect the court’s sentence.” 

Copeland was given an 18-month sentence suspended for two years. 

She was also disqualified from driving for three years. 

Judge Kelleher told her she may have faced an immediate prison sentence if she didn’t have two children.