Callous driver who hit boy is jailed

A CALLOUS hit and run motorist who knocked over a schoolboy and then fled the scene to attend a pop concert is starting a six-month jail term today .

Darrell Greenaway, 25, slowed down and looked at the critically ill teenager before he left him for dead in the road. Magistrates described it yesterday as one of the most serious cases of its kind they had dealt with.

Greenaway, 25, of Westley Road, Bury St Edmunds, was on his way to a concert when his car was in collision with 13-year-old Tom Lord in Withersfield, near Haverhill.

Though the defendant was cleared of any blame for the accident, he was accused of failing to stop at the scene – and his actions were condemned by magistrates at Bury.

Sentencing Greenaway, Dr Richard Soper, chairman of the bench, said: "This is the most serious case of not stopping after an accident anyone on this bench has ever had to deal with.

"The fact you knew what you had done and demonstrated this by actually stopping and then driving around the victim shows the most callous disregard for a victim lying in the road with serious injuries.

"We have been told you have shown serious remorse but to go off to a gig and then go to bed causes us to seriously doubt that.

"We were also told you were of previous good character but what sort of character leaves an injured person lying in the road?"

Kevin Lowson , prosecuting, said Greenaway, a trainee butcher who only held a provisional licence, was driving a Ford Mondeo in the 30mph Church Street when he was in a collision with a cycle ridden by the victim.

"The defendant came to a stop and then drove around this lad, who was obviously badly injured, and failed to stop or report the accident to the police," Mr Lowson told the court.

"At that stage Tom had sustained a serious head injury which was later proven to be so severe it could have been fatal. Fortunately, Tom is now at home and expected by his parents to make a full recovery."

Kevin McCarthy , defending, said Greenaway had little in the way of close family and had panicked following the accident.

He said: "Before this incident, my client was a man of good character but on August 8, in the blink of an eye, he became a quite serious offender.

"His driving cannot be faulted. But what can be faulted is his thinking after the accident. What started off as blind panic transformed into something more sinister with his inability to come to terms with his actions.

"Since the incident, the defendant has made almost daily inquiries into the young boy's health and he has been extremely remorseful."

Following the accident, Tom was found lying on the road by his devastated mother Linda, who told the EADT she thought he was dead.

Tom was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, but has since made a "miraculous" recovery, although he is expected to have a permanent scar running from of his head to his throat.

The court heard that Tom still suffered from slight problems with his eyesight and tiredness.

At an earlier hearing, Greenaway pleaded guilty to 12 charges relating to the incident on August 8 and a separate charge of giving a false name and address when he was stopped by police over defective tyres on July 17.

He was sentenced to a six-month custodial sentence and disqualified for driving for three years for failing to stop after the accident and failing to report the incident, both to run concurrently.

Magistrates opted not to impose any further penalty for a string of more minor driving offences including driving without insurance, a licence or a test certificate.

After the case, Tom's father Peter said his son was making an amazing recovery and had recently started St Benedict's School in Bury St Edmunds.

Mr Lord, of Withersfield, said: "The court case was something the family wanted to put behind us. It's not for me to comment on the sentence. It's up to the courts and the law of the land.

"The court case was not relevant for me. The most important thing was that our son recovered and continues to do so."