A 35 year old Newent man has been sent for crown court jury trial on charges of driving dangerously, driving under the influence of cannabis and assaulting three people -  two of them police officers.

At Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court Michael Lear of Russett Way, Newent, was accused of driving a Ford Fiesta dangerously on Bristol Road, Gloucester, in April this year and driving with an excess level of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in his blood on the same occasion.

He was also charged with assaulting Callum Wisdom causing him actual bodily harm in Bristol Road on the same date, and assaulting police constables Laurie Merchant and Jack Lane in the exercise of their functions in Gloucester on April 28.

The magistrates directed Crown Court trial on the cannabis charge and Lear elected jury trial on all the other charges.

He was granted unconditional bail pending his first appearance before Gloucester Crown Court on December 19.