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A Rock Ferry mother was handed a suspended jail sentence after running a red light and crashing into a police car, which then caught on fire in Birkenhead.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, the Rock Ferry mum, Stacie Wright of Well Lane, who is 35, was driving a white Mercedes-Benz A-Class at around 11.15 pm on November 12 when she crossed the junction of Conway Street and Watson Street despite the traffic lights having been red for up to eight seconds. Simultaneously, a police car with its blue lights on was travelling through a green light on Watson Street. CCTV captured the horrifying moment, which showed Wright starting to turn right where the police vehicle was. The footage was played to Wirral Magistrates' Court.
Almost instantly, the police car was set on fire from underneath the bonnet. Prosecutor Nathan Cooper told the court: "I think that footage amply illustrates what occurred."
The police car - which the Echo states cost £15,000 - was destroyed and written off, and cost a further £2,500 to salvage. The driver of the car, Constable Thompson, had bruising, cuts to his face, tinnitus and rib pain as a result of the crash. He took two months to heal from his injuries.
Reading his victim personal statement to the court, Constable Thompson said: "I suffered cuts to my face and bruising, as well as tinnitus and pain to my ribs which took two months to heal. I'm struggling to sleep as I cannot get comfortable due to my injuries, causing difficulties with my relationship.
He continued, "The fact my vehicle was actually on fire was terrifying. Such is the burden on me to put others first; my first thought was to get out and check on the driver."
The constable bravely stated that if he had been going slightly faster, he "could have killed someone". He also said he was close to "losing everything" due to Wright's actions.
Continuing, the constable spoke about his nightmares of seeing the flames in his sleep. He also spoke about his 12-year-old daughter, who had trauma from "being woken up in the night to be told what had happened". Six months on, his daughter still talks about the crash, he recalled.
Despite healing, Mr Thompson was left in extreme pain after the crash. He took time off work to heal and missed training opportunities, which caused financial issues.
Defending, Mr Hunt said Wright, a "hard-working" single mother and hairdresser, was "genuinely remorseful" and called the crash a "moment of inattention".
Charles Wood, sentencing, said the CCTV indicated Wright had committed "the most serious offence" under the sentencing guidelines.
He said: "The CCTV footage is very clear, and having seen it we determine this is a category A1 offence, the most serious offence. The traffic light you went through was red for a significant period of time, as much as eight seconds. Clearly, a lot of inattention on your behalf.
He continued, "Nine times out of 10 this wouldn't happen, but it's precisely because of the possible consequences that we have such things in place. The fact is: it did happen."
Wright was sentenced to an eight-month jail sentence, which was suspended for 12 months. She was banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay £272.
