Driver who fled after passenger badly hurt jailed

Samuel Berrisford from Biddulph made a cowardly decision to leave his severely injured victim, said police

A driver who police said crashed into a wall and ran away after his passenger was seriously injured has been jailed for three years.

Samuel Berrisford admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, drug driving, and failing to stop after a collision.

The 22-year-old, from Biddulph, crashed an Audi A4 near Congleton on 13 May 2023.

His victim, a 37-year-old woman, had urged Berrisford to slow down before the collision, said police.

She spent more than two weeks in hospital, with injuries including fractures to her spine and a perforated bowel.

Berrisford, of Mayfield Road, Biddulph was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Thursday.

He and his passenger had been to Sandbach to play pool and have some drinks, said Cheshire Police.

Driving back to Biddulph, officers said his victim described how the car seemed to be "floating and bouncing over speed bumps" due to his speed.

The crash was on Childs Lane, Brownlow in May 2023

The force said she described Berrisford telling her, "we are going to crash, lean back," before the car hit a wall on Childs Lane, Brownlow, near Congleton.

He got out, asked if she was OK and tried to move her, before running away when a woman in a nearby house came to see what had happened.

Police found Berrisford after a search of the area.

Berrisford not only caused a serious collision, but made the "cowardly decision" to leave his victim alone with severe injuries, said Sgt Jackie Cantrell.

The prison sentence would hopefully send a "stark warning" to those who thought they could treat the roads "like a playground," the officer added.

Berrisford was also banned from driving for five-and-a-half years.