A 38-year-old man has pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he crashed into a mother who managed to pushed her baby's pram out of the way to safety. Dale Clark, of New Milton, Hampshire, was driving a Toyota RAV4 car when it collided with Rebecca Sharp in the Redhill Park area of Bournemouth, Dorset, at 9am on April 11.
Mrs Sharp, aged in her 30s, was taken to hospital with a life-threatening injury where she remains unconscious and in a critical condition, Bournemouth Crown Court has heard. Clark pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving charge and failing to stop after an accident, but denies charges of drink-driving and drug driving after using cocaine.
His barrister, Nick Robinson, told the hearing that the defendant maintains that "he was not under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time of the offences" adding that he claims it was post-incident consumption. Judge William Mousley KC said that charges of drink and drug driving had to be tried in the magistrates' court and adjourned the case for sentencing until after these charges had been transferred to the appropriate court.
He told the victim's family who sat in court: "I am not allowed to try cases of drink driving or drug driving, that's why this case cannot proceed in this court."
Updating the court on Mrs Sharp's condition, prosecutor Andrew Houston said: "Rebecca still hasn't woken, she has opened her eyes and moved her lips, but is not responding in any kind. When opening her eyes, she doesn't appear to see anything, she has had no further CT scan, but has had a scan to check she isn't fitting because of these eye movements which confirms she isn't fitting.
"It's early days and the consultant could expect to see changes around six months. It's waiting to see what level of recovery."
Judge Mousley imposed a driving ban on Clark and adjourned the case for a further hearing on June 20. He told the defendant: "In the meantime you will be remanded in custody, you are formally disqualified from driving as of today."
