Corby man Hugo Fernandes jailed after mowing down four teens on a zebra crossing

‘I can’t begin to describe the absolute terror I felt that night.’

The words of a mum whose boy had his life altered forever when he and three friends were deliberately mowed down on a zebra crossing in Corby by a man who had been binge-drinking all day then got behind the wheel of a car he wasn’t insured to drive.

Northampton Crown Court heard today (Thursday, September 27) how Hugo Andre Nunes Fernandes had ‘shown complete disregard for the safety of others’ when he sped through Corby two-and-a-half times over the drink drive limit.

His maniacal journey through the town, visiting pubs and shops along the way, led him to the Cottingham Road zebra crossing where he crossed on to the wrong side of the road and ploughed through a group of pals celebrating the end of their A-levels, throwing them into the air.

Then, without stopping, Fernandes carried one of the teen victims with his head through the windscreen, face down, driving erratically along Elizabeth Street where he tried desperately to shake him off the bonnet.

When the boy finally fell into Alexandra Road, Fernandes simply swerved around him, dumped the car at the Boating Lake, then went home where he told his family he was ‘going on a rampage’.

‘They remain totally blameless for the events that unfolded’

A judge today sentenced Fernandes to seven years and one month in jail for his barbaric crimes that have left all four victims with serious injuries, and their wider families and many young witnesses traumatised by the events of June 24.

Following the hearing, members of the group’s family called for a change in sentencing guidelines to reflect the seriousness of such crimes.

Prosecuting, Mary Prior KC, outlined how the the group had been out in Corby celebrating the end of the school year, but were not ‘so intoxicated as to have had any direct or indirect bearing on what happened.’

Ms Prior said: “They remain totally blameless for the events that unfolded, but their lives and the lives of their loved-ones have been totally changed.”

She said that Fernandes, of Samuel Place, Corby, had been drinking in the Spread Eagle at lunchtime, and then again in the evening. His partner had been concerned about the amount he had drunk so she had asked bar staff to confiscate his keys.

But Fernandes later told staff that he needed his keys to get into his house so they returned them to him.

A fellow drinker got into his car and the pair went to Welland Vale shops where Fernandes mounted the pavement in his car before urinating against the shop window. The shopkeeper remonstrated with him and then, when he drove off, phoned the police to tell them that Fernandes was drunk in charge of his car.

Nevertheless, Fernandes and his pal went on to the Cardigan Arms to buy coke, before driving at speeds of up to 60mph in Cottingham Road.

CCTV of the entire incident was shown to the court as Fernandes sobbed

The court saw footage from a nearby private CCTV camera that showed the group of pals walk slowly toward the crossing where another car had stopped to let them cross.

In order to protect their dignity as they recover, we will call the group of 17 and 18-year-olds James, Alex, Sarah and Rachel.

Ms Prior said: “The street is lit and the crossing is illuminated. They would have been visible to any prudent and competent driver.”

In horrifying scenes, the CCTV – being viewed for the first time by some family members in court – then showed Fernandes overtake the stopped car on the wrong side of the road and smash straight into the group on the zebra crossing at 31.5mph, sending them all flying into the air.

There were audible gasps and sobs from the public gallery as the footage was played.

Ms Prior added: “He would have had sight of them for one to two seconds before he collided with them.

"If he’d been paying full attention to the road and had he been sober, he would have been able to stop.”

The incident was witnessed by many young people who had been out that night.

Three of the group landed on the road and a fourth, Alex, was carried with his head and part of his upper body inside the car after it had smashed through the windscreen.

He was taken, face down on the bonnet, along Elizabeth Street and up Alexandra Road, with Fernandes braking and accelerating. Alex’s body was seen waving from side to side on the bonnet while Fernandes tried to throw him off.

Alex eventually dropped into the road but Fernandes didn’t stop, driving off in an erratic manner. Three passers-by rushed to Alex’s aid, standing in the dark road to stop other cars running over him before the emergency services arrived.

Fernandes abandoned his car at the boating lake then went home, where he began to make plans to cover up his crime by changing his clothing and finding a bike that he could leave on.

In court, victims and their families gave incredibly moving testimony about the effect the incident had had on their lives.

‘James’

The mum of ‘James’ said that she found it difficult to put into words the ‘absolute terror’ she felt that night. When her family arrived at the hospital they were told that it was not known whether James would survive his devastating injuries, which included multiple bleeds on the brain, chest injuries and a fractured leg. He is still in rehab after spending weeks in intensive care. It is hoped he may be able to move to a unit closer to home in November, but his future remains uncertain.

His mum said: “He could have died right there and then.

"They are a lovely group of young people on the cusp of adult life. We were told by the doctors that they didn’t know if James would make it. I was inconsolable. My whole world fell apart in that room.

"We spent weeks by his bedside in critical care while he was unconscious. It was hard to breathe, let alone carry on.”

The family have to travel for three hours every day just to see James for one hour.

"It’s heart-breaking to leave him every day,” said his mum.

"We have got his A-level results since the accident and he got what he needed. He worked so hard for those results.”

‘Sarah’

Sarah suffered a fractured wrist, pelvis, displaced ankle and a chip to her collar bone. She spent two weeks in hospital then many weeks being cared for at home. She did not want to attend court but her statement was read by Ms Prior.

She said: “It’s had a massive impact on my life.

"I haven’t been able to go back to work. I had hoped to work full time in the career I had chosen after my A-levels but I am unable to lift anything.

"I used to love doing activities with my friends and going out for meals. But now I’m finding my day-to-day life mundane. I’m not doing anything productive.”

She said she was struggling with sleeping and was worried about the numerous scars she had been left with.

Sarah also said she felt upset that she could not support her friends with their own recoveries.

Sarah’s mum also gave a statement to the court which detailed the night of the accident when she turned up on the scene to find her daughter in a terrible state on the floor. She said she had been left with symptoms of PTSD and said she could not even bring herself to hear the defendant’s name.

‘Alex’

Alex had a broken ankle, elbow and wrist and severe cuts to his neck and torso. He has been left needing to use crutches or a wheelchair and has also suffered a spinal injury that went undetected for some time and has left him with limited feeling in his left leg.

His dad spoke in court about the effect of the accident on all the family. He said: "He was on a night out with friends and that night ended in horror.

“He’s lost all his dignity. It should have been the happiest time of his life. In a matter of seconds his life has changed forever.”

Alex’s dad said that the whole family had been deeply affected and that his sister had been left worrying about anyone going out alone.

"The last three months have been a living nightmare. My son is 18 and should be starting his life at uni full of confidence.”

Alex wrote a statement to be read in court. In it, he said he didn’t remember the accident but remembered the early days he spent in hospital, alone and in pain. He had suffered flashbacks as well as his ongoing physical issues.

He said that he had been due to compete in the European Championships of a card game but had been unable to attend.

He added: “I hope the person who did this spends time reflecting and feels remorse. I hope he changes his lifestyle.”

‘Rachel’

Rachel had a large gash on her chin, whiplash and bruising and cuts across her body. She spent a night in hospital before being released. In a victim personal statement read to the court she said that the accident had had a significant impact on her life and that she had been unable to work for a time. She said she felt guilt about the injuries her friends had suffered. She is now hoping to have a fresh start at university where she is going to study law.

Who is Hugo Fernandes?

Father-of-three Fernandes, of Samuel Place, is 36 and is Portuguese but has lived in Corby for many years. He has eight previous convictions on his record for incidents including driving with excess alcohol, assault, driving while disqualified and resisting arrest. On the night of the incident, he was awaiting a court date for a previous incident of drink driving that happened on April 30 this year. At the time of the incident his life had taken a ‘downward spiral’ as he had separated from his partner of eight years and had lost his job as a railway worker.

He’d been drinking up to 20 bottles of beer, three times a week.

He sobbed and held his head in his hands for much of the hearing. He did not attend court but appeared via videolink from HMP Peterborough.

Mitigating, advocate Will Forber-Heyward said: “This is harrowing. Mr Fernandes feels devastated about what has happened.

"He understands that his behaviour has caused suffering, pain and irrevocable damage to the victims and also their families. He takes full responsibility for what he did.”

Mr Forber-Heyward said his client had wanted to write a letter to the victims but had been told there might be ill-feeling towards him.

He said that Fernandes had said to him: “I would like to formally apologise to everyone concerned and wish them all the best for the future.”

This was met with upset from the public gallery.

‘You should not have been in that car’

Her Honour Rebecca Crane warned the families that she was restricted by sentencing guidelines. Fernandes had admitted three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one of attempted grievous bodily harm as well as driving with excess alcohol and without insurance.

Judge Crane said: “This was a deliberate course of dangerous driving when intoxicated with a complete disregard for the safety of this group of young people.

"This has been a harrowing case to listen to.

"You should not have been in that car. You weren’t insured to drive it.

"You didn’t stop. You drove off. You were deliberately swerving from side to side and braking repeatedly.”

Fernandes was given three years and nine months in prison for each causing serious injury by dangerous driving charge to run concurrently. He was also sentenced to a three year and four month jail term, to run consecutively, for the attempted GBH. He will serve two thirds of the total seven year, one month sentence before he is eligible for release. He was also disqualified from driving for ten years and 28 weeks.

‘Three years is not enough’

After the case, members of the victims’ families told this newspaper that they wanted the government to look again at sentencing limits for cases like this.

They said: “We think the government needs to review the sentencing guidelines in relation to incidents where people use their car as a weapon. Just over three years for what he did is not enough.”

‘No sentence will repair the damage Fernandes has caused’

Lead Investigator, Detective Sergeant Ryan Catling, said: “This was a shocking case and it’s difficult for many to believe that Fernandes didn’t stop to check on these young people at any point during the incident.

“This group of friends were enjoying a night out to celebrate the end of their school year, spending the evening having fun and looking forward to the next stage in their lives. They were crossing this road safely when Fernandes drove dangerously on the wrong side of the road and crashed into them.

“His actions had devastating consequences that night which are still being felt today. Indeed, one of the young men involved, an exceptionally bright and kind boy, remains in a care facility learning to walk and talk again.

“No sentence will repair the damage Fernandes has caused however I hope the conclusion of this case allows these young people and their families to move forward. They have remained so composed and courageous throughout our investigation and my thoughts will remain with them all as they continue to recover, both physically and mentally.”