A driver who has never passed a test raced through residential streets at speeds touching 70mph before jumping a red light and crashing into a Land Rover, a court has heard. The innocent motorist that Redd Hanford smashed into suffered whiplash injuries and bruising while the defendant was left badly injured with a broken leg and hips, and a punctured lung.
At the time of the collision Hanford was a banned driver having previously been disqualified for driving a van while more than six times over the cannabis-driving limit. Sending the 29-year-old to prison, a judge told him he had been driving like a "maniac", and said the public was fed up with people abusing roads and putting others at risk.
Megan Jones, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that the crash happened on December 11 last year following a police chase through the streets of Port Talbot. She said a police officer carrying out static observations near the Sunnycroft roundabout in Baglan saw a VW Golf driving towards the town centre "at speed" and began following it before signalling for it to pull over. In response to the blue lights and sirens Hanford "accelerated hard", and drove off. A chase ensued, with Hanford hitting speeds of 70mph as he raced through the residential streets of Baglan and Taibach, overtaking vehicles at speed, and going the wrong way along a one-way street. The pursuit came to an end on the A48 when the defendant sped through a red traffic light and crashed into a Land Rover using the junction. Miss Jones said officers gave 29-year-old Hanford medical assistance at the scene before he was taken to hospital, while a search of the Golf - which was described by an officer as being "a wreck" - uncovered a cannabis plant in a black bin liner.
Hanford was not interviewed until April this year, and he answered "no comment" to all questions asked.
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Hanford, formerly of Pant-yr-heol, Penrhiwtyn, Neath but now of Weig Gardens in Gendros, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to failing to stop when required to do so, driving dangerously, and possession of cannabis when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 12 previous convictions for 19 offences including driving while disqualified, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, driving without insurance, and drug-driving. At the time of the chase and crash Hanford was a banned driver, having been disqualified for 14 months in June last year after being caught driving a Ford Transit van in Neath while more than six times over the cannabis-driving limit. The court heard he has never held a full licence.
Lee Davies, for Hanford, said the defendant had been badly injured in the Port Talbot crash, suffering fractures to a leg, hip and his ribs as well as a punctured lung - though his client accepted that was a result of his own "stupidity" in driving the way he had. He said Hanford had kept out of trouble since the incident, and had re-established contact with his son.
Judge Geraint Walters said Hanford had been driving like a "maniac" on the day in question, and told him he had no business even being on the road as not only had he never passed a test but he was actually disqualified. The judge said it was only a matter of luck that the defendant was not in the dock facing a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving or even causing death by dangerous driving, and he said the public was rightly fed up with people who abuse the roads.
The judge said the offending was too serious for any sentence other than one of immediate custody. With a one third discount for his guilty pleas Hanford was sentenced to eight months in prison for dangerous driving, while no separate penalties were imposed for failing to stop and for possession of cannabis. Hanford will serve up to half the eight month sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was disqualified from driving for 16 months with the ban extended by four months to cover the period he will be behind bars, and he was ordered to take and pass an extended test before he can get a licence.
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