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Danger driver spared jail after antique shop incident
A woman who “very nearly killed” an antique shop owner who clung to the bonnet of her car as he tried to stop her driving off has been given a suspended jail sentence.
Mandy McGuigan was banned from driving when she appeared at Bradford Crown Court yesterday after she admitted dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm to Simon Webster on June 22 last year.
The court heard staff at Heathcote Antiques in Skipton Road, Cross Hills, had suspected she had been drinking. After she left, she reversed her car into the front of the shop. Prosecutor Abigail Langford said Mr Webster stood in front of the car but it lurched and McGuigan, 42, drove off as he lay on the bonnet. Miss Langford described footage of the incident as “remarkable”.
Mr Webster suffered a broken shoulder which causes daily pain.
Describing the case as “highly unusual”, Judge Durham Hall said commended Mr Webster for his “remarkable bravery”.
“He suffers to this day as a result of your crass stupidity and selfishness,” he told the defendant. He said McGuigan, who the court was told has mental health problems, was now a different person.
She was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years, with supervision for two years. She must complete 300 hours of unpaid work, abide by a curfew for six months and was disqualified from driving for two years. She must pay compensation of £750 to Mr Webster. McGuigan, of Tennyson Road, Colne, was not over the legal limit for driving at the time of the offence, the court was told.
Rachel Cooper, for McGuigan, told the court her client, who needs medical intervention for a mental health condition, had stopped using illicit drugs and rarely drunk alcohol. She was now in a stable relationship and was remorseful for her actions.
Speaking after the case Mr Webster, 46, said: “I just hope all the psychiatric help works out for her. We all need to move on.”
Describing the incident as “horrific”, he added: “I’ve still got a lot of pain.”