Mia Pritchard, a beautician, careered her six-speed Mercedes A-Class into the back of a VW Polo at traffic lights in Chester — but the 24-year-old woman has been spared jail
A beautician who drove away after she ploughed her Mercedes into another car has been spared jail.
Mia Pritchard, 24, smashed her six-speed Mercedes A-Class into the back of a VW Polo at traffic lights following a night out with friends. A court heard Pritchard failed to stop, instead reversing away and driving off as the shaken driver of the Polo struggled to regain her composure.
Cheshire Police later found the wrecked Mercedes dumped and “undriveable” around three miles away the following morning. The car had suffered heavy front-end damage, with its near-side suspension ripped away and an alloy wheel smashed. It was later written off.
Pritchard was traced after the Polo driver, who was not believed to have been injured, managed to memorise the Mercedes’ number plate. However, Pritchard was spared custody and handed 200 hours of unpaid work after claiming the impact had triggered memories of a serious road collision in 2017 which left her hospitalised with a bleed on the brain.
Sentencing at Chester Magistrates’ Court, JP Andrew Antoniou told her: “This is really a very serious matter and you are fortunate that you are not going to receive a custodial sentence. There was an accident, the car was written off and you did not report it till the following day. Our job as magistrates is to keep the public safe from people who drive like this.”
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The court heard the Mercedes’ front registration plate had been removed when they found the car abandoned and damaged after the crash. Half of the rear plate had snapped off — in what was said to be an apparent attempt to conceal the car’s identity.
But when questioned, Pritchard denied drinking in the run-up to the crash and rejected claims she had deliberately removed the plates to avoid being caught. The defendant, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, faced up to six months in jail under sentencing guidelines after admitting failing to stop and report an accident but she avoided prison. In addition to unpaid work, Pritchard was ordered to complete 10 rehabilitation activity days, including a driving course.
She was banned from driving for 18 months and told to pay £85 in costs and a £114 surcharge. Pritchard said she “panicked” after hitting the Polo and made the “silly decision” to drive off on November 8 last year. The shocking incident happened just two months after Pritchard had appeared in court and been fined £480 for assaulting a police officer during a bust-up in Chester.
Lynne Sayers, prosecuting, said the Polo driver had been stationary at traffic lights on Watergate Street in Chester city centre, heading towards Chester Racecourse, just before midnight when she was struck from behind.
She added that attempts had been made to hide the vehicle’s identity, with both front and rear number plates removed. The court heard it was clear the car had mounted a kerb, ripping the wheel and suspension from the body. Miss Sayers said Pritchard told officers she fled the scene because she was anxious and had not reported the crash to police.
Selina Woodward, defending, said her client lived at her home with her mother and three siblings – and was primary carer for her 11-year-old brother who has various learning difficulties.
Miss Woodward added: “She has been diagnosed with anxiety which probably stems from being involved in a serious collision when she was 17-years-old from which she spent some time in hospital suffering from a bleed on the brain. Because of the trauma from this accident she did not start driving until in her early 20s, a few years ago. That is the reason for why she left the scene at the time. Not only had she been terrified of what had happened she made the silly decision to drive off.”
