A driver climbed over his partner as she lay in the passenger seat with life-threatening injuries to escape from the scene of a crash. Craig Hirtle then returned later to try drag her injured body through a window before fleeing again, a court heard.
The 44-year-old crashed the Vauxhall Corsa into another car after speeding through a red light in south Manchester.
The driver, who had been banned from the roads, went through the light that had been red for 13 seconds at the junction between Nell Lane and Mauldeth Road West in Chorlton on 24 September 2020. He was arrested by police six days later in another high-speed chase, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Hirtle, who pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of dangerous driving, was jailed for three years by Judge Patrick Field KC who called his actions a 'flagrant breach of the rules of the road'.
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Prosecuting, Thomas Worsfold said it was 'fortunate that no fatalities occurred' after Hirtle, of no fixed abode, collided with a Mercedes A class at the junction, causing injuries to both his passenger and the driver of the other vehicle. The court heard how Hirtle 'climbed over' his partner to exit the vehicle from the window, before fleeing. He later returned to 'pull' his partner 'through the window' without checking on her condition, before fleeing again, leaving his partner and the other driver injured at the scene.
His partner was taken to hospital with 'severe' injuries including four fractured ribs and a fractured pelvis, which saw her spend three weeks in intensive care and a month in total in hospital. The driver of the Mercedes, who was also hurt in the collision, suffered injuries to his knees, had an operation on his right shoulder, and said he 'hasn't had a good night's sleep in two years' due to pain and anxiety caused by the crash.
In his victim impact statement, Mr Worsfold said the injured driver's 'life has been ruined because of somebody else's reckless actions' after Hirtle 'ran away from the scene without a thought for anybody else'.
Mitigating, Mr Harrison said Hirtle, who has 44 previous convictions, was troubled by a drug debt he owed, and was speeding after spotting one of the men to whom he owed the debt earlier that day. He said Hirtle's explanation was 'not an excuse', but that he had made 'positive steps' while being in custody and was 'trying his best to turn over a new leaf'.
Sentencing, Judge Field said the victim would not have been expecting Hirtle's 'reckless disregard' for the rules of the road while 'lawfully' waiting to turn right at the junction, and criticised his 'irresponsible' behaviour when choosing to flee from the scene.
"Your first reaction to the collision was to run away," he told Hirtle. "You returned, before running away again, and that behaviour reflects very poorly on you.
"You were arrested six days later after another high speed chase with the police. This was a flagrant breach of the rules of the road. You drove through the red light without a care for others. Your expression of remorse can only be described as late in this case."
He also took into account Hirtle's 'numerous' previous convictions, which included 'a host of other motoring offences' - for which he was already barred from driving when this offence happened.
Judge Field sentenced Hirtle to three years imprisonment, as well as banning him from driving for five years 'for the safety of the public'.
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