Jail for laughing drunk whose car collided with bus
A DRINK driver who crashed into a bus while driving at 60mph just “laughed and sped up” when his two terrified female passengers begged him to slow down.
Andre Langley was driving at double the speed limit and was more than double the drink drive limit when he caused the horror crash on Brinkburn Street in Byker last November.
Newcastle Crown Court heard one of Langley’s passengers spent 15 days in hospital with serious injuries including a broken rib and lacerated liver as a result, while the bus driver was left with a six-inch cut on his head.
The 24-year-old had been at a party at his own address on November 13 last year, where a witness said “those present had been drinking and taking cocaine”.
Michael Bunch, prosecuting, said Langley, of Molineux Court, Heaton, got a phone call and left the house, saying he was going to “get more stuff”.
Two female friends who had been at the party went with him, but were immediately alarmed by his driving.
Mr Bunch said according to one of the woman, “He was going too fast and not giving way at junctions but just flying straight over them.
“She told him to slow down but he didn’t.”
The court heard the other passenger had little recollection of the crash due to her injuries, but “recalled asking the defendant to slow down”.
Mr Bunch said: “He responded by laughing and increasing his speed.
“In relation to the crash itself the defendant was going far too fast for a bend – around 60mph.”
Langley then went onto the wrong side of the road – which has a 30mph limit – and crashed into a bus carrying 14 passengers.
Mr Bunch said Langley attempted to drive off but his car was too damaged to be driven. He was detained by police a short distance away.
A test revealed Langley had 81 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath – over double the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
The court heard the woman in the back seat of Langley’s car spent 15 days in hospital with serious injuries including a minor laceration to her liver, bleeding into the stomach, broken rib and extensive bruising.
The front seat passenger suffered minor injuries and bruising, while the bus driver sustained a bump and a six-inch cut to his head.
In mitigation, the court heard Langley had been suffering from depression after losing his job.
He pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, causing serious injury while disqualified from driving, driving without insurance and driving a motor vehicle when above the alcohol limit.
He was sentenced to 22 months in prison for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, with 15-month and three-month sentences to run concurrently for causing serious injury while disqualified and driving with excess alcohol.
Judge Sarah Mallett told him: “This was a persistent piece of dangerous driving and you continued at a gravely excessive speed despite warnings.
“Three people were injured as a result of your driving, one of them very seriously.” Andre Langley