Dangerous driver avoids jail

A dangerous driver who left a woman for dead after smashing into her car and fleeing the scene has been sentenced.

Ronald Dodd, 35, was driving his silver Vauxhall Vectra at high speeds through Gateshead when he smashed head on into a silver Nissan Micra travelling in the opposite direction on Prince Consort Road

The 54-year-old female driver of the Micra was left with serious injuries whilst her passenger had to be cut out of the vehicle following the collision at around 4pm on January 2, 2016.

Dodd was injured himself but instead of staying with his vehicle he abandoned it in the middle of the road and fled the scene without checking on the condition of those in the car he had hit.

Officers from Northumbria Police's Motor Patrols department were quickly on the scene but Dodd was not arrested until he handed himself into custody THREE DAYS after the incident.

The Op Dragoon team launched an investigation following the collision and Dodd was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

They also found he did not have the right documentation to even be behind the wheel and charged him with driving without insurance and driving without a valid licence.

At Newcastle Crown Court on Monday (February 27), Dodd was handed a 16 month suspended sentence and banned from the road for three years after admitting the charges.

PC Derek Longstaff, of the Op Dragoon team, said: "This was an horrendous piece of driving and it is only by sheer luck that those in the vehicle were not seriously injured.

"Dodd's manner of driving was dangerous. Not only was he driving at high speed but he was swerving all over the road through the middle of Gateshead in the middle of the day.

"It is no surprise that he was involved in a collision but what makes this case even more shocking is the fact that he got out his vehicle and ran away when somebody had been left seriously injured as a result of his actions.

"I want to personally praise the innocent road users involved in this court case for showing immense bravery throughout both the police investigation and the subsequent court proceedings.

"This incident should act as a serious warning as to just how dangerous motor vehicles can be when they are not treated with respect and we will continue to work hard to take those who risk lives off the road."

The Op Dragoon team were launched in 2014 and have last year alone secured more than 40 years in prison sentences, 90 years’ worth of driving bans and hundreds more seizures of uninsured vehicles.

Officers work alongside the Motor Patrols department to target high risk drivers across the force area and take them off our roads.

Once a target is on the Op Dragoon radar they will gather intelligence and ensure those motorists most likely to break the rules of the road are put before the court.

Anyone who suspects a dangerous driver, or someone who is driving under the influence of drink or drugs, should contact the Op Dragoon team by contacting 101.