Jail time for crash driver

A CRASH which resulted in his front seat passenger receiving lacerations to her liver, forehead and left elbow, and being in hospital for six days, brought three years’ jail and driving disqualifications for a man sentenced in the Dunedin District Court yesterday.

Dallas Eric Gilliand (28), of Dunedin, had been convicted of dangerous driving causing injury, refusing to give a blood specimen, and driving while disqualified, on September 24 last year.

The police summary said Gilliand and his partner had been at a party in Tomahawk Rd.

Driving from the party, about 9pm, with his partner in the front passenger seat, Gilliand crossed to the right hand side of Marlow St, mounted a traffic island, then crashed into a parked car.

He pulled his partner from his car before absconding.

He was found nearby shortly after and taken to hospital, where he refused to give a blood sample.

Judge Kevin Phillips said the dangerous driving causing injury was aggravated by Gilliand being a disqualified driver and refusing to allow blood to be taken.

Gilliand, who had pleaded guilty, was sentenced to three years’ jail and disqualified from driving for two years for dangerous driving causing injury, four months’ jail and disqualified indefinitely for refusing blood, and three months’ jail and disqualified for one year and one day for disqualified driving.

A further admission, of breaching release conditions, brought four months’ jail.

All sentences are concurrent.