Mum hit by drink and drug-driver dragged half a mile under car
A 37-YEAR-OLD mother from Hinckley died after being struck by a drunk and stoned driver in Nuneaton and then dragged for more than half a mile underneath his car.
Nawelle Ormerod was walking near the Roanne Ringway when she was struck by motorist Pierce Whelan, 35.
Another pedestrian, aged 26, was also struck by Whelan and suffered lifechanging injuries in the collision on Saturday, June 19, 2021.
The windscreen of Whelan’s Peugeot 406 was so badly damaged after hitting them, he had to put his head out of his side window to see where he was going as he fled.
On Friday, Whelan, of Gillet Close, Nuneaton, was jailed for 21 years after admitting charges of manslaughter and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Warwick Crown Court heard how people rushed to help Mrs Ormerod, whose lifeless body was finally released from underneath the car in Marlborough Road, Nuneaton, 900 metres from where she had been struck.
CPR was attempted but Mrs Ormerod, who was married with a son, was pronounced dead at the scene. Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Emily Clewer of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This is one of the worst hit and run cases I have come across.
“Pierce Whelan, knowing fully well he had hit someone, failed to stop at the scene, and continued driving his car with no regards for Nawelle Tina Ormerod, who was trapped beneath his car.
“He had been drinking and smoking cannabis when he left a friend’s house, and despite the fact that a taxi had been called to take him, his girlfriend and her children home, he was captured on CCTV driving away from the address knowing he was unfit to drive, and that decision cost an innocent woman her life.”
Whelan was also disqualified from driving for life. The court heard that after the collisions, Whelan abandoned the damaged Peugeot in Clement Street, Nuneaton, and went to see his girlfriend before walking to a nearby police station to hand himself in.
Tests at the police station found he had 82 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes. A saliva test also found cannabis. Inspector Michael Huntley said: “Pierce Whelan chose to drink alcohol - putting him at double the drink-drive limit - and smoke cannabis before getting into his car to drive that night.
“Associates who had been with him prior to the collision had ordered a taxi and repeatedly advised him not to drive.
“However, Mr Whelan ignored this advice and sped off in his vehicle prior to the arrival of the taxi.
“The tragic result of Mr Whelan’s actions should serve as a stark reminder to all drivers of the lawful
and moral responsibility incumbent on us all when driving.
“Mr Whelan behaved in a totally irresponsible manner in driving whilst unfit and then failing to stop and remain at the scene of the collision, which ultimately led to devastating consequences.
“I would like to thank the members of the public, police officers and colleagues in the West Midlands Ambulance Service who responded on the night of the collision, in what was clearly a very traumatic and complex scene.
“I would also like to thank all the investigation team, who conducted a detailed and thorough investigation, plus the CPS who prosecuted the case in court.”
Whelan, knowing fully well he had hit someone, continued driving with no regards for the victim
HIT-AND-RUN MAN JAILED FOR 21 YEARS AFTER ‘ONE OF WORST CASES SEEN’