A PLUMBER has been cleared of paralysing his girlfriend after she threw herself out of his moving car.

Paul Bowell, 38, was cleared by a jury of causing 25-year-old Tracey Hurley to throw herself out of the car during a furious row.

Father-of-three Bowell, of Westminster Road, Toothill, was also cleared of holding her in his car against her will before she jumped.

But jurors at Swindon Crown Court yesterday found him guilty of falsely imprisoning Miss Hurley in the time between the accident and her arrival at the former Princess Margaret Hospital two-and-a-half-hours later, and he has been warned he still faces a substantial jail sentence.

The incident happened as the two argued in Bowell's Ford Escort after drinking at a Coate Water pub on May 5, 2002, the court heard.

The prosecution argued Miss Hurley jumped out of the car to prevent Bowell from hurting her.

But the defence told the court Miss Hurley was drunk and misread the situation, exaggerating the threat and shifting the blame onto Bowell.

Miss Hurley, a Swindon College student, made two secret 999 calls on her mobile phone.

During the calls, which were recorded, she could be heard asking Bowell not to kill her and to stop the car.

The court heard that Miss Hurley had attacked Bowell in the car and had tried to grab the steering wheel.

She had opened and closed the car door on a couple of occasions, before finally jumping out, leaving her with severe spinal injuries.

Bowell, whose sentence was adjourned until September 1 for pre-sentence reports, told the Evening Advertiser he was worried about being sent to prison and was looking forward to putting the episode behind him.

"Obviously I didn't make Tracey jump out of the car and the jury's decision was unanimous," he said. "I wish the whole thing had never happened.

"It is something which is going to stay with me for a long, long time."

Bowell said he held no grudge against Miss Hurley for accusing him of causing her serious harm, and said he felt a great deal of sympathy for his former girlfriend, who is now confined to a wheelchair.

"People in desperate situations say desperate things," he said.

"I was with Tracey for two years. I was in love with her, and we were living together.

"It was a very tragic thing to happen to her something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, let alone someone I loved."

Bowell said the moment when Miss Hurley threw herself from his car on the road between Lechlade and Fairford was the worst in his life, and took him completely by surprise.

"I was in total shock," he said. "I never, ever thought anyone would have done such a thing. There was no need for her to do that.

"No-one in their right mind would throw themselves out of the car, but she was drunk."

Bowell was adamant he had done nothing to deserve his conviction for falsely imprisoning Miss Hurley following the accident.

"I didn't know how serious her injuries were," he said.

"It did take me a lot of time to get to the hospital but it was because I was distraught and suffering from shock."

If he had known how serious the situation was he said he would have taken her straight to hospital.

It took the jury four hours and 40 minutes to find the defendant not guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm and one count of false imprisonment, but guilty of a second count of false imprisonment.

Judge Thomas Longbotham said: "You have been convicted of a very serious offence. You should be under no illusion that it is the sort of offence that is very likely to result in a significant sentence of imprisonment."

Detective Ben Mant, who led the police investigation, said: "The guilty verdict reflects the seriousness of the offence and is the culmination of a comprehensive police investigation.

"The permanent injuries suffered by Tracey Hurley have not only had a traumatic effect on her but has touched the lives of those close to her, particularly her young daughter."

"It's my hope she can begin to rebuild her quality of life with the help, love and support of her family."