Man jailed for Bournemouth hit and run
Mum of three Rebecca Sharp suffered a traumatic brain injury
Last updated 23rd Oct 2023
A hit-and-run drink driver, who crashed into a mum pushing a pram in Bournemouth, has been jailed for three years and eight months.
The collision happened on Redhill Avenue in April this year.
38 year old Dale Clark from York Avenue in New Milton was driving a Toyota Rav 4 ploughed into Rebecca Sharp.
The mother of three suffered life threatening injuries - but managed to push her 11 month old baby to safety.
Clark was arrested after a member of the public memorised his vehicle's registration number and officers tracked him down.
He blew 46 micrograms of alcohol in a sample in custody - the legal limit if 35ug - Clark also admitting he'd been looking at his phone at the time of the crash.
The court heard Clark 'shot across the road and accelerated hard' before colliding with Mrs Sharp.
She suffered head, pelvis, leg and spleen injuries.
The prosecution said the victim was ‘thrown like a rag doll’ and left in vegetative state by the collision - she's still living in hospital and isn't able to care for her children.
Detective Constable Michelle Underwood, of the Dorset Police traffic unit, said:
“Dale Clark’s actions on Tuesday 11 April 2023 have left a mother with serious life-changing injuries and it could have been even worse as it is only through pure good fortune that the young child was not harmed in this incident.
“We see all too often the devastating impacts that are caused by motorists driving under the influence of alcohol and at excessive speed. Drivers need to understand that when they are behind the wheel, they are in control of a potentially lethal machine and reckless actions such as this can have truly horrific consequences.
“I would like to thank the members of the public who supported the victim on the day of the collision and provided reassurance, as well as the witness who memorised the registration plate.”
Victim Rebecca Sharp was at Bournemouth Crown Court today (Monday 23rd October), in a wheelchair, for sentencing.
She has no memory of what happened and her recovery continues, but outside court she told reporters that is sends a message that people shouldn't drink drive.
In statements read by the family during the hearing, they say they spent 'days in tears' and 'their lives have changed forever'.
He was banned from driving at a previous hearing in May.