Driver with sun in his eyes knocked down elderly woman on Corby petrol station forecourt
A judge took pity on a Corby motorist who hit an elderly woman on a garage forecourt after he said he would lose his ‘job, his house, everything..’ if he were banned from driving.
CCTV video showed Liam Garrett drive off after filling his car, straight into a woman who was coming out of the shop at the Shell Garage in Cottingham Road, Corby.
The 34-year-old, who lives in Merlin Road on the Priors Hall estate, represented himself at Northampton Crown Court after he told the judge that he didn’t qualify for legal aid and he could not afford the ‘thousands’ he’d been quoted by lawyers as Christmas had left him with no extra funds.
He had previously elected to come to the crown court, telling the judge that magistrates wanted to ‘take my licence away straight away’ if he pleaded guilty.
“I wanted to try and save my licence,” he told His Honour Judge Herbert KC.
The judge warned him that he should seek legal representation to help argue his case but, after advocate Liam Muir was drafted in to guide Garrett on a pro bono basis, the defendant was able to persuade the judge that he had special reasons to keep his licence.
At Thursday’s (January 15) hearing, prosecutor Lynsey Knott played footage that showed an elderly woman leaving the shop and entering the forecourt. After allowing a white car to pass her, the woman stepped out before Garrett’s black Nissan pulled off from pump 5 and turned directly into her.
She was thrown on the bonnet before landing on the ground. The court heard that the woman suffered a broken ankle and a broken heel bone.
Miss Knott said that disqualification was mandatory for a conviction of causing serious injury by careless driving, which is what Garrett was charged with following the offence and to what he eventually pleaded guilty.
Garrett told the court: “If I lose my licence, I lose my job, my house, everything..”
"I tried to do everything a good citizen would do,” he said.
"I stayed with her, I even bought her a coffee.
"It was an accident.”
Thankfully an off-duty Paramedic was also on the scene to help the victim.
Garrett said that the sun was shining directly into his eyes when he hit the woman. He said that he worked away and would not be able to get to work should he lose his driving licence.
The crown did not contest the special reasons that Garrett put forward and Judge Herbert handed him a community order. He was told he must complete 80 hours of unpaid work and pay the victim £2,000 in compensation. He was also given six penalty points on his licence and told to pay a £187 surcharge.