A terrified driver and her friends are demanding answers after their car was repeatedly rammed by an escaped prisoner.

James Moorhouse, 27, of no fixed address, has since been returned to prison following the shocking incident last month, when he ploughed into a Toyota Yaris at the junction of Preston Road with Uxendon Crescent in Wembley.

Three people in the Yaris were hurt, two of whom were taken to hospital with whiplash and broken ribs.

Witnesses described how Moorhouse, who had failed to return from day release from Latchmere Prison in Richmond, then rammed the car with a black Ford Focus estate in an attempt to escape, before a blonde woman driving a red Nissan Almera pulled up and ushered him inside before speeding away.

Moorhouse was serving a six year, three month prison sentence for burglary at the time.

One of the occupants of the Yaris, who asked not to be named, said: "When I discovered he was on day release, I was disgusted he had been let out on the streets to do that to us.

"This whole situation would have been avoided if he had been in a prison where he belonged.

"I'm also disgusted that during the whole incident, no police turned up even though I dialled 999 immediately.

"It took them half an hour to arrive, even though there were hundreds near Wembley Stadium for the England game and he ended up getting away."

The driver of the car, who recently passed her test, said she was left screaming in fear during the ordeal and thought she would lose her legs as Moorhouse smashed into her door.

She added: "I feel as if we deserve compensation from the Government because he shouldn't have even been there in the first place."

The woman, a student, is now preparing to lodge a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

A witness, who asked not be named, said: "The Focus driver actually rammed the Yaris well over the curb before the driver and passenger of the Yaris could get out of their car.

"As this was going on I tried to take photos, although I did fear he might try to ram into me and other bystanders. He was unable to drive away though, I think because a wheel-arch had detached and wedged under its wheel.

"It all lasted for three minutes and was utterly terrifying."

The witness, a student in his 20s, said the man then got out of car and appeared surprisingly calm, as if under the influence of drink or drugs.

Moorhouse was later arrested and appeared at Brent Magistrates' Court on Friday last week (30) following the 9.35pm incident on May 28.

He was convicted of failing to stop at an accident and having no licence or insurance and was imprisoned for six weeks and banned from driving for 18 months.

Hugo Biggs, a Ministry of Justice spokesman, refused to discuss any details of the case, including how much time Moorhouse had already served and how long he had been missing from prison.

A Brent police Spokeswoman said: "It is of great important to us that we deliver a good service to those who live and work in Brent.

"Any delay in responding to the public always causes us concern because we would like to respond to all calls instantly.

"We can confirm we have not received a complaint regarding this incident, however any complaint we do receive will be investigated thoroughly."