Hit-and-run liar left man in a coma
SPEEDING DRIVER RETURNED TO CRASH SITE AND PRETENDED HE WAS A BYSTANDER
A DRIVER who hit a pedestrian with such force he flew across two lanes of a busy Cardiff dual carriageway, before driving home as if nothing had happened, has been jailed.
Marvin Dane Hanson, of Lydstep Crescent, Gabalfa, was sentenced to three years at Newport Crown Court for causing serious injury to 27-yearold Jesse Taylor by dangerous driving.
Hanson was travelling at more than 51mph in a 30mph zone on Caerphilly Road when he hit Mr Taylor who was walking home from a night out with friends just after midnight on September 1, 2018.
Mr Taylor, who had spent “a pleasant social evening” at the College Tavern, was left in a coma with multiple fractures and a bleed on his brain and has been unable to work since.
Hanson, 45, was found guilty at a trial last month, which was told he did not stop after hitting Mr Taylor, but instead carried on to Gabalfa Roundabout, before doubling back to see what he had done.
Hanson saw Mr Taylor lying at the roadside, surrounded by his friends and others who had witnessed the collision, and pretended he was an innocent bystander before getting in his car and driving home.
Hanson, a father-of-three, handed himself in at Cardiff Police Station at 9.15am the next day.
CCTV footage, presented at Hanson’s trial, captured the moments before the collision, which showed him travelling at more than 60mph in his Volkswagen Polo. Despite slowing as he approached pedestrian lights, which were green, Hanson said he failed to spot Mr Taylor, who was heading towards the Birchgrove area, and was unaware he had hit him.
Mr Taylor had attempted to cross the four-lane carriageway to get to his home in Birchgrove, and was hit by Hanson in the second lane.
Judge Tracey Lloyd Clarke told Hanson, who had his phone on the front passenger seat playing music at the time of the collision, he had failed to keep a look out while driving at excessive speed.
Judge Lloyd Clarke said: “You struck him just as he got to the outside lane. He landed on the pavement meaning he cleared two lanes. The whole thing was witnessed by his friends, a taxi driver travelling behind you and people at the nearby bus stop.
“You didn’t stop, you kept driving and went around the roundabout and came back to check on his welfare. You presented yourself as being a concerned passerby.”
Mr Taylor’s dad Jeremy addressed Hanson in a statement read out by Timothy Evans, for the prosecution, which described the moment he was allowed to see his son in intensive care.
“The morning following your running him over, myself and my family were allowed to see Jesse,” he said.
“There were pipes, tubes and wires everywhere. He was non-responsive and no-one could tell us that he was going to be OK. I remember my stomach churning with a feeling of helplessness.”
Mr Taylor also suffered a broken thumb, a fractured pelvis and numerous lacerations in the impact. He has no memory of the moment he was hit.
His statement, also read out in court, said: “I remember thinking I must have been in a dream. If I wasn’t young and fit at the time of the accident I would have been killed. It’s been the worst time of my life. Things people take for granted, like going to the toilet – I’ve had medical staff assisting me doing things that should be private.
“It’s embarrassing. I’m stressed about my job prospects and depressed and worried about the future.”
His father also described having to watch his son struggle. His statement said: “I watch my son, who should be in the prime of his life, limp to the front door. This was a period of great hardship for us all.”
Mr Taylor’s mother Kirsten attended the sentencing and read out her own victim personal statement.
She said: “I cannot put into words what it’s like being told my son might die. It’s turned our lives upside down. Life cannot and never will be the same. I have tried so hard to forgive but to leave my son for dead is beyond me.”
Mr Taylor had had his future “all planned out”, she said. The newlyqualified electrician had just bought a house and was looking forward to doing it up. But all this had been put on hold since the collision, as Mr Taylor struggled to cope with the lasting effects.
He has constant ringing in his ears, is unable to sleep, experiences very short tempers as a result of the brain damage and is unable to return to work due to lower back pain.
Judge Lloyd Clarke said: “If you had been driving at 30mph, Mr Taylor would have reached the other side of the road. You could have slowed or moved to have avoided him.”
Paul Hewitt, for the defence, said Hanson, a IT manager, was the main breadwinner for his family and “would struggle to cope” with the financial worries if he was in prison.
Sentencing Hanson, Judge Lloyd Clarke said he had “utterly changed this young man’s life” with “catastrophic” impacts on the family.
“You have taken away the future that they thought lay ahead,” she said.
“You had ample time to see him before you got near. It’s quite clear you were not looking at the road ahead. Nothing this court can say or do will restore the life that Jesse Taylor had before this collision.”
Hanson was sentenced to three years in prison, half of which will be served in custody.
His driving disqualification was also extended to six years and six months to account for his time in prison and he must also sit an extended test to regain his licence.
Speaking outside the courtroom after the sentence, Mrs Taylor said: “I’m really happy and pleased with the outcome. I’m just so grateful my son is still alive.”