Jack Bentley, of Chellaston, Derby, crashed into the car of a pregnant woman and her family, causing her to suffer a broken pelvis and require an emergency C-section
A prison officer was gambling on his phone when, at more than 70mph, he smashed into the car of a pregnant woman who had to have an emergency C-section.
The woman suffered a broken pelvis and had to have a caesarean, giving birth to her premature daughter while under general anaesthetic. Also in the car during the crash were her two other children, her partner and the family dog, Derby Crown Court heard.
It meant she was not able to hold her 4lb child for the first three weeks of the baby’s life, and was only able to see her through an incubator from her hospital bed. The baby’s father missed the birth after the crash while one of their daughters suffered a fractured ankle – and the dog had to have emergency spinal surgery.
READ MORE: Russia wipes out three toddlers and father in one brutal drone strike on UkraineREAD MORE: UK weather: When will rain end after endless downpours and what is causing it?
Jailing former soldier Jack Bentley, of Chellaston, Derby, for two years and four months, Recorder Penelope Stanistreet-Keen said: “For pretty much the whole two hours you were in the car, you had been on your phone on gambling and gaming sites.
“Eight miles earlier (a witness) was so concerned about your driving – clipping the kerb, hogging the outside lane and weaving in and out of traffic – they took a photo of your car in case they needed to call the police.
“The traffic in front of you was stationary but your car did not slow down, you did not brake or deviate and you ploughed into the back of a car at 71mph. That contained a woman who was 33 weeks pregnant, her partner, his two children and the family dog.
“She had to undergo an emergency C-section and was under a general anaesthetic when she gave birth to her daughter. She had no skin-to-skin-contact with her daughter, who weighed just four pounds, for three weeks.”
Phillip Plant, prosecuting, said the collision took place on the eastbound A50, near Foston, on the early evening of April 6, last year, reported DerbyshireLive.
He said Bentley was driving home to Derby from Blackpool and mobile phone evidence later showed he had been on gambling sites “for almost the entirety” of the journey while the victims were travelling home to Yorkshire, having visited relatives.
CCTV played in court showed the collision in which the defendant’s Ford Focus drove at speed straight into the rear of the Nissan X-Trail. The prosecutor said: “The pregnant victim suffered a fractured pelvis, her step-daughter a fractured ankle and the dog, which was in a crate in the back, had to undergo emergency spinal surgery.
“Her daughter was born by emergency C-section and her partner could not be there for the birth.” In her victim impact statement, she said: “Any mother should not give birth without skin-to-skin contact and for the first three weeks all I could see of my daughter was her in an incubator from my hospital bed.”
Bentley pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving which was described as “all over the place” by a witness in the minutes before the crash. He had no previous convictions.
Justin Ablott, mitigating, said his client served his country in the army in Kenya but was forced to leave the profession he loved due to hearing problems caused by artillery fire. He said, more recently, the defendant has been a prison officer but has been suspended pending the outcome of this case.
The barrister said: “He would like to say how sorry and devastated he is for what he has done. He knows the incident has had a huge effect on the victims and their family.” As well as the jail term, the judge disqualified Bentley from driving for three years and two months.
