Minicab driver's "astonishing, breathtaking and horrific" drive after finding his partner was cheatingA minicab driver who drove through Liverpool at speeds of up to 80mph after learning his partner was seeing another man was jailed.
Kieran McKechnie, 28, took his Vauxhall Astra on the two-mile driving spree from Boundary Road in Kirkdale and through Walton , before smashing into a stationary car at the junction of Breeze Hill and Southport Road.
A judge at Liverpool Crown Court called his actions “astonishing, breathtaking and horrific” after viewing dashcam footage which showed him driving at 78mph along Smith Street in Kirkdale and 80mph on County Road in Walton.
McKechnie also drove through red lights, sped over speed bumps at 45mph and ignored a give way sign close to a mum and her children – then ran away from the scene of the crash.
At the time of the offence on Sunday, August 16 last year he was employed as a driver for Delta minicabs, but was not on duty.
Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was seen to climb out of the passenger door of the Delta minicab he had been driving, apparently putting his hands up in an apologetic gesture to the complainant in the case, and made away from the scene.”
Mr Taylor said traffic on usually busy County Road was “thankfully light” at the time of the incident.
The dashcam footage in McKechnie’s minicab showed him leaving Boundary Street before accelerating along Smith Street, Westminster Road and on to County Road towards Walton.
He then turned onto Stuart Road and left to Breeze Hill, where he crashed into a car waiting at the junction with Southport Road – a total distance of two miles in just two and a half minutes.
The court heard McKechnie, of Anders Drive, Kirkby , was driving a leased car, and the company said premiums had increased for all drivers as a result. The vehicle he crashed into had to be written off.
Gerald Baxter, defending, said it was unlikely the “very remorseful” dad would ever work as a minicab driver again and knew he would be separated from his daughter while in jail.
He said: “The reason for it, but he agrees that it doesn’t amount to any justification, is that he had found out that his partner was seeing someone else.
“He couldn’t handle that revelation and unfortunately this was the way that he reacted. He got into the car and drove as badly as you have seen.
“He is extremely sorry for what he did. He asked me to apologise to the court and everyone else affected by it.
“He is thoroughly ashamed of what he did.”
McKechnie admitted a charge of dangerous driving and was also sentenced for a bail act offence after failing to turn up to court last week.
Judge Norman Wright told him: “This is appalling, disgraceful driving over two miles in speeds that approached 80mph, and were still greatly excessive in 30mph residential areas.
“The explanation was you had just found out your partner was seeing somebody else. I appreciate people do find it difficult in personal relationships to handle situations, but that doesn’t mean that they put their own and other people’s lives in danger as you did.”
He sentenced him to 14 months in prison and banned him from driving for 31 months.
source:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... c-12208308
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