A 32 year old has been jailed for over six years following the fatal road traffic collision that claimed the life of a 54-year-old man
Sam Hughes of Daffodil Road, Bolton was the driver of a Grey Volkswagen Polo who initially fled the scene of a collision in May 2022 with cyclist on the junction of Chorley New Road and Beaumont Road in Horwich
Hughes had been visiting friends near the collision site. CCTV footage captured him purchasing a bottle of vodka at a nearby petrol station, which he consumed at his friend’s house in Deane before leaving around 4:30am in his VW Polo.
At the same time, the victim, cycling south on Victoria Road wearing a high visibility vest, approached the junction of Chorley New Road and Beaumont Road. Hughes, driving his vehicle down Beaumont Road turned right onto Chorley New Road, which resulted in him colliding with the cyclist at the junction.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the VW Polo striking the victim before then driving away without stopping to assist.
Two eyewitnesses promptly called emergency services and provided medical aid to the victim. The force of the impact caused the front registration plate to break off and become embedded in the bicycle frame, displaying the registration number.
A search for the offending vehicle led the police to a street in Farnworth, close to Hughes’s home address where the offending vehicle was located.
Officers attended Hughes home address where he attempted to deceive officers by providing false names and pretending to be someone else. Officers noted signs of intoxication, including dilated pupils and injuries to his right hand. Hughes was then arrested at his home address and taken into custody.
Subsequent blood tests conducted while in custody revealed that he had exceeded the legal limits for various substances, including alcohol, cannabinoids, MDMA, and cocaine.
Hughes chose to answer no comment to all questions during his interview at Bolton Police Station, showing no remorse for his actions that fateful morning.
Hughes pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to four counts of Causing death by careless driving whilst over the prescribed limit.
Today, Wednesday 10 January 2024, Hughes has been sentenced to six years nine months in prison for those offences.
