A teenager who lost control of his BMW only hours after buying it and crashed into a little boy has been sentenced. James Doherty, 18, fled the scene of the Lawrence Weston crash on Sunday, November 17, after a four-year-old boy was critically injured.
Doherty’s vehicle collided with a bus stop in the Long Cross area at around 1.50pm that day. A woman and her four-year-old stepson were waiting at the bus stop. The child suffered significant injuries which still require medical care. The woman was also injured.
The teenager then fled the scene and video footage captured him running away from the crash. Avon and Somerset Police said Doherty handed himself in at Patchway Police Station later that same day, where he was then arrested.
During the subsequent investigation, police learned that Doherty had only bought the BMW on the same day as the crash. Doherty, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today (Friday, January 31) to two years and two months in a young offenders’ institute.
He has also been disqualified from driving for four years and one month and will be required to take an extended test after it is completed. Senior Collision Investigator David Paniccia-Brown said: “James Doherty caused horrendous injuries to a young boy and a woman, and then showed no regard for their welfare by fleeing from the scene.
“At the time of the collision we feared the boy would not survive but fortunately he has pulled through, in no small part due to the wonderful care of medical staff at Bristol Children’s Hospital and paramedics. He will need ongoing medical care, something no little boy should have to go through, as will his stepmother.”
In a statement to the court, the boy’s mother said her son’s ‘innocence and boundless joy was stolen from him the day the accident happened’.
She added: “He has spent weeks in the hospital fighting for his life and will spend many more trying to get back to the boy we all know.”
The boy’s father, who was a short distance away when the collision happened, said the effect of the incident on the family had been ‘indescribable’. Both him and the injured woman have been experiencing distressing flashbacks since the collision. She said: “I would never wish this to happen to anyone. This is a lifetime scar for me and my family.”
Investigator Paniccia-Brown added: “We want to thank the family for the dignity and composure they have shown throughout this upsetting case, the pain of which both mentally and physically will not end with any court sentence. We continue to provide them with support through a specially trained family liaison officer.
“We would also want to thank members of the public who helped at the scene in the immediate aftermath of this incident, helping to free the young boy by overturning the vehicle. It was a hugely distressing scene but they showed kindness and selflessness in a time of crisis and that should be recognised.”