Gwynedd: Man jailed after crash which left girlfriend paralysed
- Published
The judge said Blake had repeatedly mocked Briony Court by sending cruel messages as she lay in hospital
A man who caused a serious car crash which left his girlfriend paralysed from the waist down has been jailed.
Kenny Blake, 25, from Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Caernarfon Crown Court.
A passenger in the car, Briony Court, 27, was left with extensive injuries to her spine and now uses a wheelchair.
Blake was ordered to serve four years and three months. He will be banned for 10 years from driving on release.
'Appalling disregard for safety'
The crash happened on the A496 near Barmouth in October 2021.
Ms Court was initially taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, then spent 10 months at the major trauma unit at Stoke hospital.
He was already disqualified from driving at the time of the crash, something prosecutor James Coutts said Ms Court had not known.
Defence solicitor, Deborah White, said Blake's said his best mitigation was his plea of guilty. Blake had gone to hospital with her in the car but then left.
He had now shown "genuine" remorse and had written a letter to the court.
However, passing sentence, judge Nicola Saffman said Blake had tried to blame the crash on a child, who was another passenger in the car.
"I don't accept you have shown genuine remorse.
"It's the most serious type of driving in the circumstances causing serious injury," she said.
The judge said Blake had repeatedly mocked Ms Court by sending cruel messages as she lay in hospital, "taunting her".
Blake had 27 previous offences including for violence, motoring and criminal damage, the court heard.
Speaking after sentencing on Monday, investigating officer, PC Dan Owen of North Wales Police, said: "Blake, who was already disqualified from driving, showed appalling disregard for the safety of others as he drove dangerously that night.
"This case highlights the devastating consequences of such a poor standard of driving and the serious, often life-changing repercussions that this can have on other road users."