A driver who collided with youngsters and drove off leaving them injured at the side of the road has failed in a legal bid to get the length of his driving ban reduced.
David Smith was given a suspended prison sentence and disqualified from driving for four years for the incident in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, last year.
The case came before the Court of Appeal sitting in Swansea this week as the defendant tried to get that ban cut.
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The original sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court in February this year heard that a group of teenagers had been walking home along Sully Road in Penarth on March 6, 2020, following a rugby match when Smith lost control of his car and made contact with two of them. One of the youngsters suffered swelling to the foot and leg while another suffered friction burns from the force of the vehicle.
Smith, then aged 23, fled the scene but the incident was witnessed by a Domino's delivery driver who called the police.
David Smith, of Rookery Wood, Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, subsequently pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was sentenced to 27 weeks in prison suspended for two years, fined £1,000 and disqualified from driving for four years. He has a previous conviction for careless driving, and for failing to stop following an accident.
When the case came before the Court of Appeal it was submitted on Smith's behalf that taking into account all the circumstances of the incident, including the mental health issues faced by Smith, the offending did not merit a four-year disqualification, and permission was sought to appeal against that aspect of the sentence.
After considering legal arguments the appeal judges rejected the submission that it was arguable that the period of the ban was manifestly excessive, and they refused permission for Smith to appeal. The four-year ban remains in force.
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