Saturday, 1 May 2021

Car Crash Driver Did A Runner

A driver, who crashed his BMW into a house and continued lying about being behind the wheel all the way to a jury trial, has been jailed for eight months.

Self-employed businessman Darren Morgan, 46, of Green Lane, White Bushes, Redhill caused £16,000 worth of damage to the family property and did a runner before police arrived.

An innocent bystander was arrested and when Morgan was traced he claimed the car had been stolen and he wasn't driving it.

Croydon Crown Court heard it was 8am when Morgan crashed his vehicle in Cross Road on August 24, 2018, but maintained his innocence to police and a subsequent trial, where he was convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Morgan already had a chequered driving record, having been convicted of drink-driving in 1997 and driving while disqualified in 2003 after he had been banned for three years.

“This was not a spur of the moment offence,” said prosecutor Oliver Newman. “It was a calculated attempt to avoid responsibility.

“It was a lie he maintained throughout his trial.”

Morgan was also originally charged with dangerous driving as a result of the crash, but this was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The day after the crash Morgan reported his BMW M3 as having been stolen.

“It was a lie that originated in shame and fear, not malice,” said Gerard Pitt, defending. “He is clearly remorseful, according to the pre-sentence report.”

Judge Elizabeth Lowe announced: “What was he worried about? Why did he do a runner and tell everyone his car was stolen?

“I can see there was significant impact on the owners of that address. I have no doubt there was stress and difficulty with insurers.

“I am not dealing with him for driving, but for fleeing the scene.”

One person was asleep inside the house when Morgan drove into it, causing damage to the gas supply.

The innocent bystander was under investigation for six months, but was cleared by forensics when Morgan's DNA was found on the emergency airbag.

“You had a trial and persisted in this assertion for such a long time,” the judge told Morgan. “You had time to reflect, but to no avail.”

Morgan was also disqualified from driving for twelve months.

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