Maybe it's just me, but I feel a tad sorry for the perp here. Maybe not because of his history etc, but maybe because the main perp seems to have escaped justice
Maybe
And no real word regarding what happened to him and why he wasn't found and prosecuted etc.
And particularly since the guy here seems to have only been caught because he felt pangs of guilt and went back to see if the victim was OK.
Anyway, as regards the taxi driver, easy to say with hindsight, but...
Devon man jailed over stolen taxi head-on crash while driver gets away 'scot-free'https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-ne ... n-11028905The woman in the other vehicle had become trapped in her car, with airbags deployed and smoke surrounding herA 32-year-old man has been handed a 12-week prison sentence, after riding as a passenger in a stolen taxi which crashed into another car.
Tyler Wilkey appeared via video link from HMP Portland, pleading guilty to being carried on an aggravated vehicle taking with injury caused by an accident.
The court heard that on October 26 last year, Wilkey had been at a pub in Westward Ho! with a friend, and the two men got in a taxi together back to Bideford. On arrival, neither of them paid the driver.
The taxi driver saw the two men enter an address, so he followed them and knocked on the door. He was greeted with aggression and chased down the street, with one of the males saying he had a knife.
The taxi’s engine had been left on, and the two men entered the Ford Mondeo and took off, with Wilkey as the passenger.
The other male drove through a closed road and continued driving dangerously, overtaking vehicles on blind bends.
Lindsey Baker, prosecuting, said the driver eventually “ran out of luck” as he failed to negotiate a turn and collided head-on with another car.
Baker said he had been travelling on the wrong side of the road, and the woman in the other car had no time to take action.
The two males initially fled on foot, but Wilkey later had a “change of heart”, Baker said, and returned to Geneva Place, as he was concerned for the welfare of the other driver. He was arrested at the scene.
The woman in the other vehicle had become trapped in her car, with airbags deployed and smoke surrounding her. Both cars were damaged beyond repair.
In a statement read to the court, the victim said she was unable to breathe and her ears were ringing in the aftermath of the collision. She sustained bruising and a severe abrasion to her neck and was unable to work for a week.
Jeremy Harris, defending, said Wilkey had met the other male involved the previous day, and that his decision to get in the taxi with him was “monumentally stupid”.
“He didn’t know the individual was going to drive in the manner that he did,” Harris said. “He has told me that he was pleading with him to get out.”
He emphasised that Wilkey had shown concern for the victim and returned to the scene, while the male responsible for driving had fled and “got away scot-free”.
The court heard Wilkey is currently serving a 22-month prison sentence for separate matters.
In mitigation, Harris said the defendant had a “terrible start in life”, citing an abusive up-bringing.
Harris added that Wilkey struggled with mental health conditions and had to stop work as a metal sheet fabricator due to his physical health.
“When he stopped working, the structure he had was taken away and he fell into difficulties with alcohol,” Harris said.
Wilkey also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of shoplifting from a Spar in Barnstaple. On April 21 this year, the defendant paid for a milkshake but as he left the store a bottle of wine fell from his bag and smashed on the floor.
He left the store and later returned to steal three more bottles of wine to the value of £33.20.
The Magistrates imposed 12-weeks in custody, to run consecutively to Wilkey’s current sentence. He was banned from driving for 24 months, and must pay court costs, a surcharge of £154, and compensation to Spar.
This story was produced via the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Criminal Justice Court Reporting scheme .
Login
Register
FAQ
