A hit-and-run driver mowed down a young woman on a pedestrian crossing and left her lying in the road – because he was rushing to collect his BENEFITS.
Reckless learner driver Balram Singh, 21, was running late to sign on when he ploughed into pedestrian Kate Allan, 23, after speeding through a red light.
The uninsured motorist, who was driving a relative’s car alone and without permission, sent her crashing into his windscreen before dumping her on the road.
He then ignored witnesses’ pleas to stop and took off – narrowly missing the screaming victim’s head as he screeched away.
Singh was spared prison on Tuesday despite admitting aggravated vehicle taking, failing to stop, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
Bristol Crown Court heard that the incident happened as Miss Allan walked along a pelican crossing in Brentry, Bristol, at 10.30am on December 29 last year.
Singh, who should not have been driving unsupervised and was uninsured, had taken a family member’s Volkswagen Polo from outside his home in nearby Cribbs Causeway.
He was running late to collect a jobseeker’s allowance payment from a nearby benefits office.
Nadeem Aullybocus, prosecuting, told the court that the provisional license holder careered through a red light and hit Miss Allan as she was crossing.
She ended up on the bonnet of the car – cracking the windscreen – before being propelled onto the road.
Despite “screamed in pain” the victim had the wherewithal to move her head out of the way of the wheels of the car as it sped off.
A pedestrian and a driver, who witnessed the crash, both looked Singh in the eye and signalled for him to stop but he carried on.
Singh drove on to the benefits office – but was too late to collect his payment.
The court heard that police soon tracked down the defendant and when questioned he asked: “How is the lady?”.
When quizzed about why he had not stopped after the crash, Singh told police: “I wanted to come home and look on the internet to see what would happen to me.”
Miss Allan suffered pain in her right leg, neck, ribs and down the left side of her body.
She was off work for two weeks but was still getting pain two months later.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said: “If I had not moved my head out of the way of the car he would have driven over me.”
Singh admitted aggravated vehicle taking, failing to stop at a road accident, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
Judge Neil Ford QC, Recorder of Bristol, spared him from prison because of his lack of previous convictions, early guilty pleas and “genuine remorse”.
He imposed an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years.
Judge Ford also disqualified Singh from driving for two years, ordered one year’s supervision, 300 hours of unpaid work, a four-month curfew and £1,500 compensation.
