Woman rammed her ex off road after money row
A WOMAN furious that her ex had bought a new motorbike despite owing her money accidentally rammed him off the road, a court heard.
Sarah Hale, 27, caused a crash by attempting to block motorcyclist Joseph Caldon from overtaking her - sending him flying into the road.
Hale, of Old Racecourse Road,n Maghull, avoided jail after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted her guilty plea to dangerous driving on the basis that she had not meant to cause the collision.
However she admitted that turning into Mr Caldon’s path was a “deliberate and dangerous” manoeuvre - and was ordered to complete 180 hours’ of unpaid work.
Catherine Ellis, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court on March 19 that Hale had been driving in Litherland on June 30 last year, when she spotted Mr Caldon’s motorbike in a car park.
Ms Ellis said: “The relationship with Mr Caldon had broken up some time in 2016. It’s apparent from the defendant’s words in interview that she felt that Mr Caldon owed her money from the time they were together because she had been the one earning the most and paid for various things during the relationship.
“It appears she’s taken exception to the fact that rather than paying money back to her he had bought himself a new motorbike.”
Hale pulled into the car park to speak to Mr Caldon and confronted him about paying for the bike.
But he responded “along the lines of ” telling Hale to get a solicitor if she wanted money.
They left at about the same time and Hale noticed Mr Caldon behind her vehicle in Sefton Road.
Ms Ellis said: “Things came to the point where Mr Caldon intended to overtake her, but as he pulled past the defendant her vehicle swerved across to her right in a deliberate manoeuvre intended to block him in.
“In fact she struck his motorbike. The bike fell to the ground and he flew off, sustaining injuries to his leg. The bike was in fact written off.”
The court heard Mr Caldon suffered a knee injury and experienced nightmares after the collision.
Simon Leong, defending, said his client had lost her job as a therapy coordinator for people with brain injuries due to the conviction.
He said: “She is remorseful and bears no ill-will towards Mr Caldon... It was a single moment of madness and not sustained bad driving.”
Hale was given a 12 month community order and ordered to pay £400 prosecution costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
A two-year restraining order banned her from contacting Mr Caldon and she was banned from driving for 15 months.