Spared jail, hit and run driver who said it would shame his devout family
‘It is a miracle no one was hurt’
A MAN who drunkenly crashed his Mercedes into a takeaway shop then drove off has walked free after a court heard he had brought cultural shame on his devout Muslim family who would be devastated if he were jailed.
Aamir Patel, 25, sobbed as he was given a 12-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months after his father, uncle and brother came to court to support him.
The aircraft engineer had drunk vodka with fruit juice after finishing work then drove 50 miles home in the £22,000 Mercedes E250 which was a present from his parents. But as he was about to pick up a takeaway the car slewed out of control and ploughed into the front of a curry house, forcing queueing customers to duck for cover.
Patel reversed and roared off, hitting one vehicle and ploughing head- on into another. No one was injured but when police caught up with Patel he was found to be almost three times the drink-drive limit.
He later claimed he had been giving a lift to a homeless man who caused the accident by trying to grab a bottle of cola.
When confronted with CCTV of the crash at the takeaway he said: ‘For f*** sake, Jesus can I see that one more time? I was completely out of control, I don’t know how that happened. I didn’t do this to myself.’ Patel, whose wife is an optometrist, admitted drink driving and dangerous driving at Bolton Crown Court. The court heard Patel, who works for Airbus in Chester, was seen driving at speed through Bolton at 8pm last November before mounting the pavement outside the Naz takeaway.
Yousaf Haseeb, prosecuting, said: ‘There were around seven to eight people in the takeaway and numerous people on the pavement – fortunately no one was hurt. The car then reversed and made its way out of Bolton town centre and was on the wrong side of the road, swerving and snaking all over the road. He hit the rear of a Honda Civic then he had a head-on collision with a Vauxhall Astra on the wrong side of the road. He tried to drive off but the vehicle was too badly damaged.’
Patel, formerly of Bolton and now of Chester, was breathalysed and provided a reading of 94 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms. The cost of the damage was estimated at up to £2,000.
An earlier hearing was told Patel had an alcohol problem which ‘brought shame’ on his family. His lawyer Russell Davies said Patel had since sought help for his drinking problem and was ‘genuinely remorseful’. Mr Davies said the case involved ‘emotions of guilt and remorse that something in his upbringing caused this young man to act completely to the contrary, obviously culturally but also to his family values’.
He added: ‘But immediate custody would be devastating for him and others who support him.’
The court heard that while Patel’s family were at court to support him, his house – for which his parents had paid – had been ‘taken away’ and he now rents a property with his wife.
His father, who runs a family retail business, was determined his son pay back every penny of the written- off Mercedes, Mr Davies said.
The lawyer added: ‘I do not want the court to be confused – his family do not in any way condone his actions.’
Judge Timothy Clayson said it was a miracle no one was hurt but Patel had taken ‘ honest’ steps to address his alcohol problem and had the ‘ wonderful’ support of a good family.
Patel was banned from driving for three years and must do 180 hours of unpaid work, take an extended driving test when the ban is over and pay £500 costs.