Couple hit cyclist as they had ‘full domestic’ in car
A COUPLE have been jailed for mowing down a cyclist in a hit-andrun while having a ‘ full- blown domestic’ row at the wheel.
Amanda Brown, 38, and Terry Leach, 49, left their victim in a pool of blood and Leach reported the car as stolen to cover their tracks.
The pair, who had just been to a wake, were caught only because the registration plate of their VW Touran had fallen off. A court heard the incident was one of three collisions the couple caused as they drove through Leeds while having an argument.
Mother-of-three Brown, who runs an aromatherapy business, was at the wheel of her Citizens’ Advice volunteer boyfriend’s 4x4, even though she didn’t have a licence.
Leeds Crown Court was told the car was spotted being driven dangerously through the city at 11.30pm on July 6 last year. Prosecutor Carmel Pearson said the vehicle ‘drifted across the carriageway’ after speeding round a corner.
The car ran through red lights and clipped another vehicle at a junction before running over the cyclist and driving off.
Miss Pearson said there was a lot of blood at the scene and it was initially feared the cyclist was seriously hurt. Fortunately, he escaped with minor injuries.
Police were then alerted to another incident nearby where the same vehicle crashed into a parked car. After that crash, the pair were seen swapping seats.
Leach later reported the car as stolen in an attempt to cover up their crime.
Defending Brown, Elyas Patel said: ‘They had been in a year-long relationship. They were, to use the vernacular, having a full-blown domestic as they travelled through those streets.’
Nicholas de la Poer, for Leach, said his client had made the false report ‘out of a desire to protect a loved one’.
The couple have since split. Leach was contacted by police when it was found that the vehicle was registered to him.
‘Inattention at the wheel’
He claimed the car had been stolen but refused to comment when he was warned it was a serious offence to falsify a police report. The couple came clean days later.
Mr Patel said: ‘ She should not have been driving. These events occurred because of her inattention at the wheel.’
Brown, of Leeds, was jailed for eight months after admitting dangerous driving and having no licence or insurance.
Leach, of Huddersfield, was jailed for six months after admitting perverting the course of justice.
In an online profile, Brown says her business offers aromatherapy and spiritual guidance. She also does Chinese fire massage and a Hawaiian rubbing treatment called lomi lomi.