Ex-Brookside star Louis Emerick given suspended sentence over crash

The actor, who is best known for playing Brookside's Mick Johnson, has also appeared in Casualty and Doctors

Actor Louis Emerick has been given a suspended jail sentence after hitting two 12-year-old girls with his car.

The former Brookside star, 65, admitted causing serious injury by careless driving in Wallasey on 2 October 2022.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he "was not speeding but admitted he couldn't see clearly because of the sun so he should have slowed down".

Emerick was handed a 26-week prison sentence, which was suspended for 12 months, at Wirral Magistrates' Court.

Speaking after the sentencing, Emerick said he did not know how he could have lived with himself if either of the girls had died.

The actor, who was charged under his full name Louis Emerick Grant, was driving towards Wallasey Village on Merseyside as the two girls crossed Poulton Road at about 17:15 GMT.

Two CCTV clips were played to the court showing his Honda car cutting the corner of the right-hand bend, going into the "centre hatched markings" and hitting the friends, who were thrown to the ground.

'Horrendous time'

One of the girls suffered a broken leg while the other sustained fractures to her left leg, right ankle, jaw and nose and damaged four teeth, two of which she may lose, the court heard.

In victim impact statements, their mothers said the girls had been physically and mentally affected by the trauma and had missed months of schooling.

The mother of the eldest victim said her daughter still had nightmares and needed surgery to remove a metal plate from her leg.

Emerick played a character in Doctors in 2014

She added signing a consent form for her daughter's leg to be amputated if necessary "was one of the hardest things I have ever done," saying "the last eight months have been horrendous".

"We don't hold grudges with the driver. He has been in touch and apologised," the other girl's mother said.

"I realise it was an accident, I don't want him punished for an accident."

Natasha Williamson, prosecuting, said Emerick, who stayed at the scene and called the emergency services, had been co-operative with police.

But she added: "He should have slowed down if his view was impaired by the sun."

'Momentary lapse'

Tony Nelson, defending, said the defendant had no previous convictions and had been driving for nearly 50 years with a clean licence.

"He utterly and deeply regrets his error on the day in question," he said.

He added Emerick had not been speeding, drinking, using drugs or on a phone.

"This was human error. A momentary lapse of concentration and he thinks about it every day," he said.

Sentencing Emerick, Peter Mawdesley, chairman of the bench, said: "Since the accident you have clearly shown remorse and contrition and taken various steps to contact the victims and their parents."

Emerick was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and given an 18-month driving ban.

The actor is best known for his role as Mick Johnson on the Liverpool-based soap Brookside, but has appeared on a number of other shows, including Doctors, Last of the Summer Wine, Casualty, Coronation Street, Silent Witness and Zapped.