Two men chugged vodka and inhaled laughing gas before driving a car into a teenage boy who was taking his little brother to the corner shop.
Dylan Fryer was in a coma for eleven days after Elliot Watson drove a Vauxhall Astra in the 18-year-old on Battersby Lane in Warrington in October.
Watson and his co-driver Barclay Redford spent the immediate aftermath of the crash escaping justice while Mr Fryers’ parents watched their son fight for his life.
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A judge told both men today that the limit on sentences means many would be disappointed with the short prison terms, with 18-year-old Redford sent to a juvenile offender asylum for ten months and Watson jailed for just under four years.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the two men had been drinking vodka and buying nitrous oxide in the lead-up to the accident on the evening of October 29th.
They then decided they needed more alcohol, but the owner of the car, Sophie Clark, who is Redford’s mother and Watson’s partner, refused to drive them and specifically told them not to use their car.
Nevertheless, they secretly took the keys from her and drove off anyway.
Watson drove the car erratically and came up on Battersby Lane, a residential street well above the speed limit.
He then hit Dylan Fryers, who was taking his 12-year-old brother to a corner shop “to get some snacks” before going home for the evening.
Mr Fryers’ little brother was able to dodge the vehicle, but the 18-year-old was thrown over the roof of the car and suffered catastrophic injuries including a collapsed lung, multiple fractures of the skull and eight broken ribs.
Barclay Redford of Makin Street in Liverpool was jailed in Liverpool Crown Court earlier today.
Worst of all, he suffered from “brain chatter,” an extremely serious injury that can bruise and damage the brain, and was in a coma for 11 days.
Mr Fryer’s long-term health outlook is unclear, and his mother told the court the accident continued to have a significant impact on the physical and mental health of their two sons.
Watson and Redford drove away and later abandoned the car. For the next few hours, they seemed to deny that they might have met anyone during their alcoholic ride.
Watson also appeared to have expressed more concern about the possibility of driving while being disqualified as if he had injured someone.
Mr. Harris said, “When questioned Ms. Clark, he said he could” have not met a person. ” Despite their advances, none of the accused went to the police at this point.
“You stayed at Watson’s apartment and didn’t leave it on Saturday. Watson said,” You have to prove that I drove disqualified. “
“Ms. Clark went back to her house on Sunday morning, October 31, 2021. She said again that the men should go to the police. Watson said he wouldn’t go. “
They even encouraged Ms. Clark to lie for her and say the car was stolen.
Mr Harris said it was a cruel campaign to evade responsibility for the accident.
He said: “The car was illegally taken by both men and driven in a horrific and dangerous manner by Watson.
“Redford took his mother’s car once before without permission.
“After driving into the victim, there followed determined, callous and cowardly efforts on the part of both defendants to cover their tracks and evade responsibility for their crimes.”
Watson and Barclay both have extensive criminal records, with the judge calling Barclays “one of the worst he has seen in such a young person.”
Kate Morley and Rebecca Smith, who defended the two men, said they could not offer relief for the accident itself, which both amounted to appalling behavior on the part of both men.
Ms. Morley, who defended Watson, said: “Realistically, there is only one point in which to move forward on mitigation, and that is his confessions of guilt, for which I applaud.
“He is not trying to cause further excitement or despair and wants the victim to know that he is absolutely disgusted with himself, he is sorry and he knows that he must be punished.”
Ms. Smith, who defended Redford, said he suffered significant childhood trauma and appealed to the judge to consider his age in the conviction.
She said previous rehabilitation attempts before the crash bore fruit and said Redford could change his behavior if given the right support.
Both Ms. Morley and Ms. Smith said their clients had deep remorse for what they had done, but Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, said he doubted the repentance was real.
Judge Flewitt said limiting sentences for the offenses the men were charged with meant that many members of the public are likely to feel that their sentences are too lenient.
He turned to Watson and said, “If I could give you a longer sentence than what I could inflict, I would, but I have no authority to do so.”
Redford of Makin Street, Walton, Liverpool, was sentenced to ten months in a juvenile detention center after pleading guilty of serious vehicle hijacking.
Watson, 36, of Smith Street, Warrington, was jailed for 44 months for causing serious injuries from dangerous driving, disqualified driving, heavy haulage and failure to stop and accident reporting.
In a statement released after today’s conviction, Mr. Fryer’s family paid tribute to everyone who helped Dylan recover in the immediate aftermath of the accident.
They said, “We would like to thank everyone involved, including passers-by and neighbors, who helped Dylan while he was on the street before the emergency services arrived.
“We would especially like to thank the ambulance crews, the police, the air ambulance doctors, Aintree A&E, The Walton Center ITU, Aintree ITU, Walton Cairns Station, The Serious Collision Investigation Unit, our family liaison officers and our family, friends and work colleagues who have helped in this very difficult time. “
