A man who caused serious injury to a woman after he smashed a stolen car through a flyover barrier and onto the A1 below has been jailed.
Hugh Raymond Holmes, 32, was seen driving a Vauxhall Astra dangerously at speed on January 21 by several motorists, before he collided with a van and careered over a crash barrier and onto a central reservation below. The car landed on its roof and was completely written off, before Holmes got out of the vehicle, leaving his unconscious female passenger trapped inside with severe injuries.
As other motorists rushed to help at the scene, an intoxicated Holmes put the blame on his female passenger in order to "save his own skin". Before he was arrested at the scene, he swore at officers while refusing to provide a breath sample.
Read more: A1 danger driver sentencing LIVE: Man jailed for 32 months after car plunged onto motorway
Holmes appeared at Durham Crown Court, via link from HMP Durham, to be sentenced for aggravated vehicle taking, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and driving whilst disqualified. He also admitted to two further summary charges of driving without insurance and failing to provide a specimen of breath.
Robin Patton, prosecuting, said at around 9.30am on January 21 a man reported to police his car had been taken without his consent. “He did so because he had been made aware by a friend that his car was being driven around Spennymoor with his mother and the defendant in the car. He contacted his mum, whose voice was described as being slow, and he asked to speak to the defendant and told him to stop driving the vehicle. The response was incoherent.” The court heard that the man was then told he was “not getting the car back”.
Mr Patton said that Holmes was driving the car without consent of the owner and was disqualified at the time and had no insurance. He said that Holmes was seen driving the car near the A181 junction, with one witness seeing Holmes and his female passenger having an “argument between them”.
Holmes was seen again by witnesses at around 10.30am heading towards Bowburn, and he overtook one motorist “at speed” before he narrowly missed colliding with an oncoming Jeep. “Both cars had to take evasive action”, Mr Patton said. Holmes then approached a roundabout which was operated by traffic lights, he overtook another motorist at speed and went through a red light. It was soon after that Holmes smashed into a van, forcing his vehicle to “career across three lanes towards the crash barrier". The car then smashed through the barrier and was “teetering” over the motorway below, before it fell down into the central reservation.
Mr Patton said the car “landed on its roof” and several motorists stopped to assist. “The witnesses saw the defendant kick the driver side door open and get out, leaving the woman trapped inside. Rather than stay to help, the defendant told witnesses; ‘I told her not to do it’. The defendant then tried to leave the scene but was intercepted by a witness who tried to prevent his departure. The defendant put the blame on the unconscious female passenger, saying ‘She’s nicked her son’s car and was driving like an idiot’".
Witnesses described Holmes’ breath as “smelling of alcohol” and police soon arrived and he was detained. However, he refused to provide a breath sample, telling an officer to “f*** off”. Holmes, who had a laceration to his forehead, was then arrested.
As the woman lay unconscious in the crumpled car, a witness noticed smoke coming from the glove box, so doused the upturned vehicle with a fire extinguisher. Mr Patton said that when interviewed by police, Holmes gave a prepared statement “placing the blame” on his female passenger, and maintained she was the driver.
The woman was treated at the scene by paramedics and she was flown to hospital by the Air Ambulance. She was found to have a bleed on the brain, a broken neck, spine fractures and a smashed right knee. The woman is currently still in a wheelchair, but the court heard that is not expected to be a “lifelong situation”.
Holmes had 28 previous convictions and was banned from driving at the time of the offence after being disqualified on July 10, 2020, for drink driving and driving without insurance or a licence. In December 2014, he was also given a prison sentence for dangerous driving.
Paul Rooney, defending, asked the judge for “maximum credit” for Holmes’ guilty pleas. He said: “It is an unusual case, because that’s the best point of mitigation on behalf of this defendant. Not to diminish the injuries (caused to the woman) but there are, unfortunately, cases that appear on a weekly basis in courts across the country that are more serious. Where victims have life changing injuries. He wishes to apologise to all of those involved, not just to his female passenger. The injuries caused to her were entirely his fault. He understands he needs to be punished and is realistic that it will undoubtedly be a custodial sentence.”
Sentencing Holmes, of Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor, Judge Ray Singh, said: “There was no real admission by you at the relevant time, and you were deliberately suggesting the driver of the vehicle was the female passenger. The police had to go and obtain statements from a number of individuals in order to negate that fanciful suggestion by you.” He said Holmes was “clearly under the influence of intoxicants, whether that be drugs or alcohol” and that the crash was a “significant impact”.
“As a result of that crash into the barriers, the car was teetering over a drop to the motorway below. Unfortunately, it did fall, landing on its roof. If it landed on the carriageway there would be significantly more people injured and significantly more carnage. Your behaviour thereafter was utterly despicable. The only thought you had was for yourself and no one else. You tried to save your own skin.”
Holmes was banned from driving for a total of 343 weeks and he must take an extended test. He was also jailed for 32 months. Following the sentencing, the judge praises three witnesses who helped out at the scene of the crash, and came to the aid of not only Holmes, but his female passenger also. He asked that each of them are given a £150 reward by the Chief Constable.
A Durham Constabulary spokeswoman said: “Not only did Hugh Holmes knowingly take a car without permission, but he was also completely unfit to be behind the wheel. His reckless actions resulted in horrific injuries for his passenger which will affect her for the rest of her life. We would like to thank the members of public who assisted in the investigation and those who stopped to help in the aftermath.”
