R v George Wood

Facts

The appellant, George Wood, was 77 at the time of the incident and is now 80, with no previous convictions and no offending since. He was driving his wife's Mini Countryman, with her as a passenger, on a straight stretch of road subject to a 50 miles per hour limit on a dry, sunny day. Mark Fox was riding his motorcycle in the company of his son Jake, who was learning to ride. Mr Fox pulled out to overtake the Mini and drew level with it; the appellant accelerated to undertake the motorcycle and deliberately swerved to the right towards it, making contact. Mr Fox was thrown off and slid across the road, while the appellant accelerated away without stopping. An eyewitness, Mr Gardner, called an ambulance. Mr Fox suffered a broken humerus requiring surgery, three broken ribs, cuts which became infected, and nerve damage leaving him with limited use of his left arm and hand, constant pain and a prognosis of never fully recovering. On the first day of his trial the appellant pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving on a basis of plea, and was sentenced by His Honour Judge Coupland in the Crown Court at Nottingham to two years' imprisonment, disqualified for three years and ordered to take an extended retest. The single judge granted leave to appeal against sentence.