Hit & run menace left pensioner in the road
A HIT and run menace knocked over a pensioner before running over her legs in his bid to escape.
Ryan Davison initially sent the 72-year-old crashing to the ground when he reversed his Seat Ibiza into her on a road in Widdrington near Ashington in Northumberland, as she made her way home from bingo.
But instead of stopping, the cowardly 22-year-old drove over her legs as she lay in the road and then fled, a court was told.
Fortunately, the victim only suffered minor injuries and was treated in hospital before being discharged.
Police were called and Davison was traced as being behind the wheel of the car at the time.
The apprentice joiner, of Queen Street, Amble, appeared at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty careless driving, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident.
Outlining the facts of the case at a previous hearing, District Judge Kate Meek said the victim had been returning home from bingo on February 11 when she DEFENCE SOLICITOR ALAN BROWN went to cross the junction between Maple Drive and Chestnut Way.
Davison had been dropping off a friend nearby at the time and hadn’t seen the pensioner.
District Judge Meek said: “He reversed around the corner and there was a 72-year-old woman. He knocked her to the ground and then, it’s said, he moves forward and his wheels go back over her legs.
“There’s no stopping or reporting of the accident. In fact, the person he dropped off heard a noise and that’s how he’s identified.”
A woman who lived on the street ran to help and an ambulance was called.
In a statement, the victim said: “I’m very annoyed about the whole incident. I’m in a lot of pain and I lost a lot of mobility.
“I do believe the driver that hit me knew he had but made no attempt to stop.”
The court was told Davison had since been in contact with her and had gone to see her personally to say sorry.
Alan Brown, mitigating, said: “He took her a card and a bunch of flowers and apologised to her and that apology was accepted - she actually gave him a cuddle.”
Magistrates heard Davison initially thought he had hit a pothole but then panicked when he realised he’d knocked someone over and fled.
Giving him a 12-month community order, with 150 hours of unpaid work, Judge Meek said: “There was injury caused, which was potentially very significant, and it was absolutely just good luck it was not more serious than it was.
“You must have known that some injury had been caused because you saw the woman on the floor. This puts this case, in my view, in the top end of offences of this type.”
Davison was also banned from the roads for nine months.