James Price took no notice of seriously injured Paul Astbury’s desperate pleas for help and fled the scene
James Price, 41, of The Crescent, Gowkshill, Gorebridge, Edinburgh, was jailed for three years for causing serious injury by dangerous driving(Image: North Wales Police)
A man has been sentenced to three years in prison following a hit-and-run incident described in court as “callous.” The court was told that, after the collision, the driver did not respond to his seriously injured victim’s pleas for help before fleeing the scene, then did something even worse.
James Price, 41, struck pedestrian Paul Astbury after cutting a corner while driving in Prestatyn, Denbighshire. Mold Crown Court was told that Mr Astbury was carried on the bonnet of Price’s car before the defendant braked, causing the victim to fall and come to rest several metres from the point of impact.
Instead of calling for help, Price got out of his vehicle and ignored two desperate pleas from Mr Astbury – who had suffered life-changing injuries – to contact an ambulance.
The court heard Price then dragged the injured man further into the road, which Mr Astbury believed was an attempt to make it look as though another motorist had struck him and could “take the blame.” Price then fled the scene.
The collision took place almost five years ago, and it took police a year to trace the defendant. Price only accepted responsibility for the offence last month, North Wales Live reports.
Today (November 10), Price was sentenced to three years in prison for causing serious injury by dangerous driving on Nant Hall Road on December 9, 2020. Price, of The Crescent, Gorebridge, Edinburgh, was also banned from driving for four and a half years.
Following the crash, Mr Astbury, a former plasterer, told the court he required surgery to insert a metal plate with 12 screws into his leg after breaking his left thigh in the collision. His leg remains swollen, and he is still unable to wear proper shoes.
Paul Astbury was left with major injuries (Image: Louise Ratcliffe)
Describing the events of that day, prosecutor Emmalyne Downing said Mr Astbury had finished work and was walking along Nant Hall Road before stopping at the junction of Bodnant Avenue. After looking both ways, he began to cross and was halfway across. Ms Downing said that this was when he saw a vehicle “cut the corner and accelerate… entirely on the wrong side of the road.”
She continued: “He ploughed straight into Mr Astbury without stopping.” Mr Astbury was thrown onto the bonnet before Price braked, and the victim came to rest five to ten metres from the point of impact.
Price got out of the car and dragged him “further into the centre of the road and into the path of (potential) traffic,” said Ms Downing. Despite two pleas to call 999, Price “said nothing and drove away.”
Another motorist, William Davies, witnessed a car – Price’s vehicle – “coming towards him at speed.” He swore and pulled over to avoid a collision, Ms Downing told the court. Mr Davies then saw Mr Astbury lying in the road and raised the alarm. The victim spent 15 days in hospital.
It took two years for Mr Astbury’s bones to “knit” together. He required a stretcher for appointments and also suffered a burst kidney. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here
Paul Astbury being treated after the incident in Prestatyn(Image: Louise Ratcliffe)
Giving his victim impact statement in court, Mr Astbury described the “hit and run” as a “shocking and callous act.”
He said: “He ignored my requests for an ambulance and dragged me further into the road into harm’s way.
“I truly believe that he hoped someone would (come along) and I would be struck by another vehicle so someone else would take the blame.”
Mr Astbury said Price had left the scene “without a care in the world.” Meanwhile, he himself had been “bedridden” and forced to use a commode.
He added: “You don’t sleep well when you’ve got a piece of metal in your leg held together by 12 screws.”
Mr Astbury said he had been unable to visit his late mother and sister, could no longer play football with his grandchildren, and had been left financially ruined as the house he was renovating remains unfinished. He previously took part in charity walks across Scotland, but those are now impossible.
None of his family now crosses Nant Hall Road because of the “distress” the incident caused, he further added.
The court heard that, after the crash, Price took his Peugeot 208 to a farm, attempted to repair it, and tried to hide the vehicle.
Defence counsel Gareth Bellis said the crash was the result of a “momentary lapse” when Price cut the corner and drove on the wrong side of the road, “more out of panic than anything else.”
He said Price was sorry and “intends to put right what he did to Mr Astbury all those years ago” through some form of “restorative justice.”
However, Judge, His Honour Timothy Petts, told Price: “I find it difficult to accept what’s said on your behalf that you are remorseful given the considerable length of time it has taken you to agree to what you did that night.
“It took a year for you to be traced. When you were traced you (initially) denied any responsibility for what happened.
“It has taken until October this year for you to admit your guilt. I don’t find you remorseful.”
Sentencing Price to prison and banning him from driving, the judge also ordered that he must pass an extended retest before getting behind the wheel again.
Sergeant Duncan Logan of the North Wales Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This case is a stark reminder of how dangerous driving can destroy lives in an instant.
“The victim in this case has suffered life-changing leg injuries because of James Price’s actions and our thoughts remain with him and his family.
“I would like to thank all those who bravely came forward to provide us with the crucial information we needed to pursue a charge against Price.
“We would urge all drivers to think carefully about the consequences of their decisions behind the wheel – one moment of recklessness can change lives forever.”
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