Yahoo News Benwell van driver knocked over scooter rider after drinking and taking a cocktail of drugs
A dangerous van driver who had been drinking and taking drugs knocked over a scooter rider after running a red light.
In the early hours of June 12 last year, the victim was riding a motor scooter on Atkinson Road, Benwell, Newcastle. He stopped at a red light and when it changed to green, he moved off but he was then wiped out by Stephen Sinclair's van.
Neil Pallister, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "His next recollection is waking up in the road with a police officer helping him up and saying he was going to the RVI.
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"The defendant had driven his Ford Connect van through a red light and collided with the scooter rider. Police had just driven through the junction in a marked police car before the incident and heard a loud bang from behind them.
"They turned around and went back and saw the defendant walking away from his van and he was unsteady on his feet. The victim was lying motionless close to the kerb, with the scooter on the ground.
"He was initially unconscious and making gurgling noises. Police initially thought he was seriously hurt but thankfully he was not." He was left with pain which was still there a month later and he lost his scooter as it was so badly damaged.
Sinclair, 40, of Pipe Track Lane, Benwell, who smelled of alcohol, became argumentative with police initially. He later said he had been to his daughter's birthday party.
He was found to be almost twice the drink drive limit and also had four times the drug driving limit of a cocaine breakdown product in his system. Cocaine itself, cannabis and diazepam were also present but at below the driving limit.
Sinclair, who has 77 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drug driving, drink driving and resisting police. He was sentenced to 15 months suspended for 18 months and banned from driving for 12 months.
Recorder Tony Hawks told him: "Twelve years ago, anyone looking at you would say you are a man who's going to spend the rest of your life in and out or prison. But they were wrong, because, remarkably, given the difficulties you had, you managed to pull yourself together, get a stable relationship, work and stay out of trouble, which makes it all the more disappointing and difficult to understand how when you were drunk and had taken a cocktail of drugs you were blundering around in a van when you were not fit to drive.
"You drove through a red light and nearly killed someone on a scooter. You were very lucky - if you had killed that man you would be going to prison for about nine years."
