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A father of four who crashed a car into a tree during a 70 mph police chase left two friends horribly injured.
Uninsured and unlicensed driver Andrew Gavin offered Kelly Forber and Anthony Hayes a ride home from a pub.
But the silver Audi A3 he was driving had fake license plates, and when officers tried to stop the vehicle, it sped off.
The front seat passenger, Ms. Forber, 41, was so terrified that she tried to open the door as Gavin fired through the residential streets.
The 30-year-old then hit a sidewalk, which Judge Gary Woodhall said sent the car “through the air” in the “catastrophic” crash in St. Helens.
Judge Woodhall said: “Both passengers had been yelling and begging him to stop, saying things like they didn’t want to die. They were scared for their lives.
“At one point, the front seat passenger even resorted to opening the passenger door to try to get out.
“This must have been absolutely terrifying for this innocent passenger to contemplate jumping out of a vehicle moving at that speed and graphically demonstrates how terrifying it was to drive.”
Ms. Forber suffered a broken eye socket, cheekbone, and nose; damage to your teeth and jaw; broken ribs, damaged ankle and bruises.
Gavin sobbed when Liverpool Crown Court heard that he underwent operations on his eye, cheek and nose, and is awaiting further corrective surgery.
The judge said that Ms. Forber’s breathing and the shape of her face were affected and that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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The rear passenger, Mr. Hayes, 35, required six stitches to repair his upper lip, tore a muscle in his hip, suffered a whiplash and was on crutches for four weeks.
Judge Woodhall said he described ongoing pain in his jaw and teeth, before an X-ray confirmed that his jaw was “out of line” and that he, too, needs more surgery.
Gavin, of Ashtons Green Drive, St. Helens, wept as footage of the police chase and dash cam horror were shown in court.
Prosecutor Steven Swift also reproduced images from the police body camera, showing Gavin trapped in the car afterwards, sitting on his seat belt, which the judge said was plugged in to prevent the alarm from going off, but that it was not being used.
He said police spotted the Audi on Derbyshire Hill Road at around 12.30am on January 4 this year.
The car sped on Fleet Lane and Gavin refused to stop when officers activated their blue lights on Sexton Avenue.
It hit 65 mph on the 20 mph highway, drove down Reynolds Avenue at 55 mph, and then bounced over the speed bumps on Waring Avenue.
On the way back to Fleet Lane, he hit 70 mph, crossed a roundabout, “fishtail” and crashed near the junction with Concourse Way.
Gavin, who was taken to hospital for treatment, was carrying £ 200 in counterfeit cash and a cocaine wrapper.
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Judge Woodhall said it was suggested that he refused to provide a urine sample, but the prosecution did not proceed with this charge.
However, the judge said the evidence was that he smelled of alcohol and was being aggressive and aggressive, and found that his behavior established that there was “some level of drug or alcohol use at stake,” despite Gavin’s denials.
When interviewed, Gavin said he didn’t stop because he had been robbed by people dressed as the police in the past – a claim he dropped today.
He suggested that he did not know the car was on fake license plates and unknowingly exchanged legitimate £ 10 bills for fake £ 20 bills at the pub.
Gavin admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving; Dangerous driving; driving without a license and insurance; fraudulent use of license plates and possession of counterfeit money and cocaine.
His 30 prior convictions for 41 offenses include seizure of aggravated vehicles, disqualified driving, shoplifting, robbery, assault, stalking and drug possession.
Anthony O’Donohoe, in defense, said that Gavin’s girlfriend was with him, with whom he has two young children, ages two and seven, and two older stepchildren, ages 10 and 12, both with autism, whom ” he regards as his own. ” and “does everything possible to help.”
He said that Gavin suffered from anxiety, depression and paranoia; he had Class A drugs, and when the police turned on the blue lights, he acted in “blind panic.”
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O’Donohoe said the former roofer and scaffoldier was sorry for his driving, which resulted in a “terrible” accident, with “dire consequences” for his friends, to whom he had offered to drive them home from a pub.
He said: “According to Mr. Hayes, he did not appear to be drunk and appeared to be drinking a clear liquid that Mr. Hayes thought was lemonade.”
Judge Woodhall said Gavin was described as intoxicated at the police station.
O’Donohoe said it may have been his “disorientation” after the accident, but added: “I am not suggesting that he did not have anything intoxicating or a drug, but Hayes’ impression seemed to be that he was acting normal.”
Judge Woodhall said an accident was “unavoidable” given the way Gavin was driving and that he described himself as depressed, paranoid and “out of control” at the time.
He said: “Given the speed at which you were driving and the collision that followed, frankly it is a matter of luck that you did not kill yourself or those who were traveling with you.”
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Judge Woodhall jailed Gavin for four years and banned him from driving for four years.
Gavin said “thank you” and gave the judge a thumbs up when it was sent.
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