A 26 year old man has been jailed for 30 months after his alcohol-fuelled dangerous driving left his victim with life-changing injuries
Joseph Dearden then tried to flee the scene then said he would ‘play the mental health card’ as a means of avoiding responsibility for his actions
Bolton Crown Court heard that Dearden entered the Nook and Cranny pub on Darwen Road in Bolton
In around 3 hours and 40 minutes he had consumed seven pints of lager and five shots of tequila.
CCTV showed Dearden staggering out of the pub, towards the front door and acting in a drunken and erratic manner.
Dearden was swaying, staggering backwards and forwards and was unsteady on his feet. He supported his stance by holding onto items around him.
Dearden left the pub and drove his company-owned Renault Traffic van away from the pub along Darwen Road where, at speed and on the wrong side of the road, he collided with parked vehicles, went head on into another which caused serious multiple injuries to the victim and further collided into a Range Rover.
His victim, a 25-year-old man, was left with serious life-changing injuries.
Upon impact, Dearden hit his head on the windscreen of his van, causing a bullseye and a head injury to his forehead. Witnesses reported that Dearden became increasingly aggressive and then tried to flee the scene.
Joseph Dearden pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving whilst unfit through drink.
Dearden, of Hathaway Drive in Bolton, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years at Bolton Crown Court today
