Banned driver left woman passenger trapped with serious injuries in his car after fleeing from crash

Graeme Berry, who was already banned from the roads, smashed his black Vauxhall into another vehicle on Easington Lane High Street on November9, 2020, after he went through a red light while "out of control".

The 35-year-old fled the scene, by getting into another car and left his front seat passenger trapped, with serious injuries to her legs.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the driver of the other car, who had been on his way to work, was taken to hospital with whiplash, chest pain and other minorinjuries.

His vehicle suffered serious damage.

Prosecutor Lee Fish told the court: "The defendant made away from the scene, leaving two passengers in his vehicle.

"One lady was effectively trapped in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. She did sustain some serious injuries to her legs.

"The defendant, having made off, it appears managed to get into someone else's car and drive away and was identified because his DNA was found on the driver's airbag."

At the time, Berry was on bail for dangerous driving during a police chase through Hetton in January 2020, which officers had to abandon as he approached a primary school near home time.

Berry, of Tamar Street, Easington Lane pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving, two of driving while disqualified, two of having no insurance, failing to comply with a red light and failing to stop or report an accident.

He has previous convictions for driving offences.

Mr Recorder Geoffrey Pritchard sentenced him to 23 months behind bars with a three-year road ban after his release.

The judge told him: "Fortuitously no-one was seriously injured but you left the scene, with the innocent driver in hospital and your two passengers in your car, one of whom was trapped and unable to escape while you made off.

"Cars were wrecked, people were trapped and you made off."

Emma Hughes, defending, said Berry was genuinely remorseful for his behaviour and had references from his friends and family who describe him as a "caring and thoughtful" person.

Miss Hughes told the court: "He wasn't in a good place mentally at the time of the offences."