A newly-qualified ‘show-off’ driver has been jailed for 10 months after causing a crash on a major city roundabout that left his girlfriend needing surgery.
John Broadway, 20, crashed his Land Rover at high speed while trying to keep up with his friend’s Volkswagen Golf in August 2022, just one year after he got his licence.
Dramatic dashcam footage shows the then 18-year-old smashing his brand new luxury vehicle through metal railings, across a footpath and into a wall at Hardwicke Roundabout, just outside of Carlisle city centre.
The force of the crash was so great that the car’s back wheels lifted completely off the ground.
His now-fiancé, then 18, was sitting in the car’s front passenger seat but not wearing a seatbelt. Her injuries were so severe she was left needing two rounds of surgery after she suffered two serious fractures to her pelvic area.
In addition to being jailed, the dangerous driver has been banned from taking the wheel for two years and must take an extended retest. The judge declared he was duty bound to make young people aware of the importance of driving responsibly.
At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson said that Broadway had lost control of his car while driving on the A7 towards a roundabout at a ‘grossly excessive’ speed at around 8.pm on August 28, 2022.
He added: ‘There was a massive bang.
‘People immediately ran to the assistance of the passenger in particular, who was the girlfriend of Mr Broadway and who was severely injured.
‘The speed was grossly excessive and the driver appeared to have little control of the vehicle as he travelled across the roundabout.’
Witnesses reported seeing the defendant’s vehicle speeding northwards in the left hand lane of Georgian Way towards Hardwicke Circus, but, rather than turning left onto Castle Way, continued driving straight.
Judge Nicholas Barker noted that the scene of the crash, Hardwicke Circus roundabout, was often busy, frequented by drivers and pedestrians.
Michelle Brown, defending, said Broadway, who runs his own roofing business, passed his driving test in July 2021 and bought the Land Rover on July 3 the following year.
Ms Brown added: ‘It was a vehicle he’d yet to gain a huge amount of familiarity with.’
While she recognised that the incident was partly down to inexperience, the barrister added: ‘Clearly, there was an element of showing off; he was trying to follow the [VW Golf] at an inappropriate speed.’
The court heard how Broadway, of Bawtry Road, Hatfield Woodhouse, Doncaster, had a history of good character.
Ms Brown said that since the offence, Broadway had expressed remorse and great shame at his actions, feeling ‘absolutely devastated’ by his stupidity that day.
Broadway has also since suffered a spinal fracture following another crash, caused by a motorist who was drink driving.
Ms Brown added: ‘Both events have had a significant impact on him, and made him reflect considerably.’
Sentencing Broadway to jail, Judge Nicholas Barker said: ‘This wasn’t a miscalculation; it was straightforward driving at speed, dangerously, a decision by you borne out of immaturity, stupidity, and a desire to show off.’
He added: ‘Young people must understand that if they drive the way you did that day, they will lose their liberty.’
Broadway’s father and fiancé were both present in the public gallery as the sentence was passed, with his fiancé heard weeping as the defendant was led away.