A MAN, whose girlfriend was left paraplegic after she jumped from his moving car, has failed to get his conviction quashed for keeping her prisoner instead of driving her to hospital.

Yesterday Paul Bowell appeared before the Court of Appeal in London in a bid to get his sentence overturned.

In May last year his girlfriend Tracey Hurley jumped from his moving car. He was convicted of false imprisonment for taking two and a half hours to drive to Princess Margaret Hospital from Lechlade.

At Swindon Crown Court in September he was sentenced to 18 months. He was also given an extra month for breaching an early prison release licence.

He and Ms Hurley had been arguing in May last year at the Sun Inn at Coate after a drinking session.

Ms Hurley threw herself out of the car and is now almost completely paralysed.

In July he was cleared of causing Ms Hurley to jump from his car and holding her against her will before she jumped.

But the jury found him guilty of falsely imprisoning her after the accident.

Bowell, 39, of Westbury Road, Swindon, argued he had taken so long to get to hospital because he stopped for petrol, had lost his way at one point and had driven slowly to avoid hurting Ms Hurley.

At yesterday's hearing, Bowell's lawyers claimed the conviction was unsafe.

But Lord Justice Kennedy, who was sitting with Mr Justice Curtis and Mr Justice Forbes, said Ms Hurley had begged a witness who had stopped to help her.

He said records of emergency calls made and the time of arrival at the hospital, and the fact that no CCTV records could be found to back up the claim he had filled up with petrol, also made the conviction stand up.

He said Ms Hurley had not sustained her injuries as a result of Bowell's actions. But he said Bowell did not know this when he delayed the journey, that he asked her to change her story and he took longer than he should have done because he composed himself because he was over the drink-drive limit.

Bowell also failed in an appeal to have the sentence reduced.

Tom Morton