Officer hit by drink driver and thrown into air
TRAUMATISED VICTIM LEFT WITH ‘HORRENDOUS PAIN’
A POLICE officer was knocked over by a drink driver while she tried to deal with a major disturbance.
The Northumbria Police officer was among those called to Prince Consort Road, in Gateshead, after reports of an incident involving up to 40 people on September 22.
While she was at the scene, Odias Mashoko struck her with his Nissan Qashqai.
A court heard the officer was thrown into the air before landing on the ground and suffered serious injuries.
In a statement, she described it as one of the “most traumatic” events of her life, which had also affected her family, including her children.
She initially had concerns she was knocked over deliberately but later accepted Mashoko did not hit her on purpose.
He claimed he saw a police van flashing its lights and thought this was a signal for him to drive through.
After he was arrested, Mashoko was found to be over the drink drive limit. Tests showed that he had 63 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, Mashoko, 43, of Coatsworth Court, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to driving with alcohol level above limit and driving without insurance.
Prosecutor Laura Croft said the officer was struck by the car and thrown into the air. She suffered “huge pain” to her neck, shoulder and leg and was taken to hospital.
In a statement to the court, the victim said she had served with the police for 10 years.
She added: “This incident has been one of the most traumatic events I have had to deal with in my life.”
She further said: “Since I have been treated in hospital, I have been in horrendous physical pain.
“I have been suffering flashbacks and have been repeating the incident over and over again.
“At night time, my sleep is disrupted because of nightmares.
“This has had an effect on my young children. I have not been able to look after them properly.”
She said her six-year-old son realised his mum had been hurt at work and was worried about her.
Tom Iceton, representing Mashoko, said there were a large number of people in the street at the time of the incident.
It was dark and the officer was wearing dark clothes, and no hi-vis jacket, he said.
Mr Iceton told the court: “It’s accepted there was an ongoing incident with numerous people in the street. There was a major disturbance – he had nothing to do with the disturbance. Very unfortunately the officer was injured.
“He thought a police van was flashing at him to come through.”
Regarding the no insurance charge, he said Mashoko had two vehicles and thought his insurance policy covered them both. However, it didn’t and he rectified his policy the next day. District Judge Kate Meek banned Mashoko from driving for two years and ordered him to pay £250 in compensation to the officer as well as £85 in court costs.
He was also given a 12-month community order with rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work.
The judge told him: “I accept you have not been charged with careless or dangerous driving. Nonetheless, it is your driving that led to this officer being struck.
“You were driving with alcohol significantly over the limit.
“The situation may have been confused and the street may have been dark. The officer may not have been wearing a hi-vis jacket.
“None of that takes away from the fact you were driving whilst over the limit, whilst uninsured.
“This was not a deliberate act on your part. But when you drive any vehicle, you are absolutely responsible for any other road user, any other driver, any other pedestrian.
“By pure good luck, you are not facing a much more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
“That collision could have been a fatal collision.”