A father-of-two has received a suspended sentence after fleeing the scene of a head-on collision he caused by driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
Billy Loades, 27, a self-employed telecoms engineer from Barnsley, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop following the accident which occurred in April this year in Chesterfield.
Derby Crown Court heard how Loades “was frightened” after causing the crash, which led to his decision to leave the scene of the incident in Brimington.
The incident took place on April 26 at around 8.40pm on Manor Road in Brimington, Chesterfield.
The victim was driving his Mercedes and had just passed the Jet garage when he turned into the one-way system.
At this point, he was confronted by Loades’ vehicle travelling in the wrong direction, resulting in a collision.
Instead of remaining at the scene, Loades drove away from the crash site.
The defendant was later identified when his car was traced, and he subsequently admitted responsibility for the accident after being contacted in writing.
During the court proceedings, Loades’s barrister Denney Lau explained his client had been meeting a friend in Chesterfield and was confused about the road layout.
When questioned by Judge Shaun Smith KC about why his client fled the scene, Lau simply said: “He was frightened.”
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The court heard that Loades lives with his current partner, who attended the hearing, and has two children aged seven and four from a previous relationship.
The defendant, who had no previous convictions, works as a self-employed telecoms engineer and was described as a “family man” by his barrister.
In sentencing, Judge Smith acknowledged Loades’ previous good character and unfamiliarity with the area.
“You are not from the area and although what you did was extremely serious, I accept there was an element of unfamiliarity,” the judge said.
The judge spared Loades given his age, family commitments and employment status
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He noted that while the offence was serious, imprisonment would be “counter-productive” given Loades’s age, family commitments and employment status.
However, the judge emphasised that fleeing the scene had aggravated the situation.
Loades received a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for 15 months, and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was also disqualified from driving for one year.
