BMW driver fled after causing Matlock Illuminations car crash

A 39-year-old driver claimed he collided with another car after he suffered “a medical episode” which caused him to black out.

Christopher Mellors said he had been to a pub after arriving in Matlock Bath to watch the annual illuminations, but denied drinking any alcohol while in there.

His victim had also been to the celebrations and told how he saw a BMW being driven by the defendant on the wrong side of the road and heading towards him.

Immediately afterwards, Mellors said he fled the scene after becoming scare” when other people stood around his car – but his passenger told the victim the defendant had been drinking earlier.

Handing him an eight-week jail sentence, suspended for a year, District Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: “The circumstances to this offence lead me to believe this was a serious attempt to evade prosecution in leaving the area due to either medial or alcohol matters.”

Katie Hamill, prosecuting at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, said the offence happened on September 9, 2019 in Dale Road, Matlock. The victim was in his car leaving the town after watching the illuminations at around 10pm.

Miss Hamill said: “He states that an oncoming vehicle being driven by the defendant was heading straight towards him on the wrong side of the road. He estimates the speed to be between 50mph and 60mph and at the time it was overtaking another vehicle.

“The two vehicles collided ... a passenger who was in the defendant’s car said the driver had been drinking and that he had fled on foot and the witness later told police he believes the reason he (Mellors) had done that is because of what the passenger had told him.”

Felicity Coats, mitigating, said her client accepted he should have stayed and given his details to police, but panicked when he saw a number of people around his car.

Miss Coats said: “He had some sort of episode when he was leaving the area, like some kind of fit while he was driving his car.”