A brave police officer wept as he faced the cocaine and booze-fuelled driver who left him with horrific injuries in a high-speed horror crash.
PC Rushton looked Shaun Orchard in the eye as he told him: “I no longer recognise the person I used to be.” It came as the 23-year-old was locked up for three years and two months following the smash on April 21 last year.
Orchard, Minshull Street Crown Court heard, stole his stepdad’s car after sinking pints at the pub and snorting cocaine. When he was tracked down by police, he led them on a chase.
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Robert Hyde reported his Mercedes missing after hearing Orchard’s mum screaming at him down the phone: “Come back, get out of the car.”
Cops spotted him on Crookilley Way, by Bredbury interchange in Stockport, at around 3.50am. Drunk, he stuck his arm out of the window and gestured at officers.
Orchard – who only had a provisional licence – joined the M60, where he was seen driving erratically, undertaking lorries. Police said he reached eye-watering speeds of up to 120mph.
He got off the motorway at junction 24 and continued driving dangerously along 30mph Hyde Road at speeds of around 100mph.
Dangerous driver jailed after high-speed pursuit seriously injured police officer in Stockport
Cops giving chase called for backup, before tactical pursuit officer PC Rushton – whose full name was not given in court – arrived. As the officer drove through crossroads on Hyde Road, Orchard sped through a red light and hit his vehicle.
PC Rushton’s car was sent hurtling into a building and the Mercedes into a wall outside a pub. “He struggled to open the driver side door and the cabin was full of smoke,” Eleanor Gleeson, prosecuting said.
“He was disoriented from the collision and from the airbags deploying.” As officers and a passer-by rushed to help PC Rushton, he lost consciousness.
Orchard – who would later decline to answer detectives’ questions – and PC Rushton were taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
The officer suffered serious injuries – fractured ribs; a complex fractured ankle; and a fractured arm; a ruptured bladder, which led to an internal hernia; and cuts, bruises and swelling to his hip, legs and arms.
‘Selfish’
Reading a statement to the court, PC Rushton wept as he said: “Before this collision I was proud of who I was. I was proud to serve as a police officer. It was never just a job to me – it was a vocation, a passion… something I dreamed about doing since I was a child and dedicated years of my life to achieve that role.
“I was independent, motivated and excited about the future. I genuinely believed the best years of my life were ahead of me. That all changed because of the defendant’s selfish and reckless actions.”
Police at the scene on Hyde Road(Image: Manchester Evening News)
He told the court he suffered ‘physically, mentally and emotionally’, adding: “I no longer recognise the person I used to be.” The officer said he is no longer active and struggles walking and standing for long periods. He has since returned to work on restricted duties.
“I relive the collision repeatedly in my mind,” PC Rushton added. “I experience intrusive thoughts and flashbacks, taking me back to the moment of the impact.”
He said the collision happened just months before his wedding and that he was left worried about starting a family. The impact on his wife has been ‘heartbreaking’, he added, saying he she has ‘had to watch the person she loves suffer unimaginable pain, trauma and distress’.
“When I was first admitted to hospital, the defendant was placed in a cubicle next to mine,” PC Rushton added. “I had to sit and listen to the defendant shouting and being abusive to my colleagues. Even then there was no remorse, no accountability shown for the devastation they had caused.
“Orchard made deliberate choices that day. Choices that showed a complete disregard for the safety and lives of everybody else on the road.
“In trying to save themselves from the consequences of their own actions, they caused catastrophic consequences for me that I will carry for the rest of my life.
The defendant made abhorrently selfish decisions and those decisions have left me with life-changing physical injuries and psychological trauma that I will carry for the rest of my life. While the defendant will move on quickly from this, I will continue living with the consequences every single day for the rest of mine.”
‘Reckless and stupid’
Mitigating, Joshua Matthews said: “If he could wind the clock back to that date, he would. He deeply regrets his actions. This was a reckless and stupid, life-altering decision for both the defendant and the victim ,which he will never repeat.”
Mr Matthews said Orchard did not ‘set out to joyride’, adding that he was ‘not thinking of the consequences of his actions’. “He is very sorry for what he did, he expresses that to the court, the victim and his own family,” he added.
The collision on Hyde Road(Image: Greater Manchester Police)
The court heard Orchard had 112 milligrams of alcohol in 100ml of blood, the legal limit being 80; an 216 microgrammes of benzoylecgonine, the main breakdown product of cocaine, per 100ml of blood, the legal limit being 50.
Jailing Orhcard, Judge Kevin Slack said: “The reason you gave your probation officer for driving that night was because you wanted to have more alcohol to drink and there was none in the flat.
“I find there was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road. It was a prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of driving whilst highly impaired by the consumption of drugs. If I had the power to suspend the sentence, I would not.”
Orchard, of Neville Street, Hazel Grove, was jailed for three years and two months and banned from driving for five-and-a-half years. He previously pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking; and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
‘Extremely dangerous’
Following the hearing, Detective Constable Adrian Beckford, of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This was an extremely dangerous incident that could easily have had fatal consequences.
“During the pursuit, Orchard ignored traffic signals, failed to stop at junctions, and drove through red lights, placing members of the public at significant risk.
“Orchard showed a complete disregard for the safety of the public and our police officers. Checks later revealed that Orchard held only a provisional driving licence and he was over the prescribed limit for both alcohol and drugs at the time. Orchard should not have been on our roads driving so dangerously.
“The bravery and professionalism of the officers involved ensured he was brought to justice. The officer sustained serious injuries and required a prolonged hospital stay. The officer is still suffering from their injuries, and it is likely these will be life long.
“This is an example of the dangers our officers face every day in order to keep our communities safe.”