A banned driver killed his passenger after crashing into a tree as he tried to evade police. Anthony Riley, 32, lost control of a Volvo XC90 after driving at 89mph in a 30mph zone, according to Nottinghamshire Police.
On Monday (December 12), Riley was jailed for 10 years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving. His passenger, 35-year-old Mark Hunter, of Mapperley, was cut free by firefighters but was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Nottingham Crown Court heard no other vehicles were involved in the collision, which happened in Hawton Road, Newark, shortly after 9am on August 28 this year.
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Police had been out looking for the Volvo XC90 – which had been stolen from a driveway earlier that day – when they spotted it being driven by Riley. The officers illuminated their blue lights, but Riley failed to stop and sped off.
The court heard Riley was not accused of stealing the car, but knew it was stolen when he drove it and sped away from police. Investigators used dash cam footage and CCTV to establish he was doing approximately 89mph at the time he lost control and crashed a few moments into the pursuit.
Such were the dangerous speeds he reached, Riley was a 'considerable distance' ahead of the officers when he lost control and hit the tree. The officers helped Riley out of the wreckage and called for an ambulance. He was then taken to hospital and treated for broken ribs and concussion.
After receiving hospital treatment, Riley – who received a suspended prison sentence and three-year driving ban in 2021 for dangerous driving and drink-driving – was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and aggravated vehicle taking.
Riley, of Forest Road, Clipstone, pleaded guilty to all offences and received a 10-year custodial sentence for causing death by dangerous driving. No separate penalty was imposed in relation to the other offences.
He was told he would serve two-thirds of the sentence before being released on licence. He was also banned from driving for 10 years, effective from today, and will have to undergo an extended driving test before he is allowed back on to the roads.
In passing sentence, Judge Stuart Rafferty King's Counsel told Riley: “On seeing the police, you put your foot down as hard as you possibly could. You did 89mph in a 30 limit – the consequences of that were inevitable and a man was killed.
“The cruel irony in this case is the person who was driving dangerously gets injured but walks away. Your life continues but his comes to an end.”
Following the sentencing, Sergeant Mark Baker, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Riley’s actions that morning were reckless in the extreme and it cost a 35-year-old man his life. He failed to stop when officers spotted him driving the stolen vehicle – defying his ban. The dangerous driving that followed was truly appalling and could easily have led to more than one person being killed.
“He gave no thought to the safety of his passenger, let alone the general public, and will have to live with the consequences of his selfish actions for the rest of his life.”
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