A dad-of-four, who had been planning to drive his car off a cliff in a ‘moment of madness’, smashed into a family car as he sped around a bend. A couple in their 60s were injured in the crash and their three young grandchildren were all left with bruises.
Michael Sutton, 35, had been struggling with his mental health and planned to take his own life, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Prosecution barrister David Farley told a sentencing hearing that Sutton got behind the wheel of his Ford Transit van at around 4pm on May 15 2021 but lost control on Glossop Road, Charlesworth, High Peak, and veered into the wrong side of the road.
As a result, Sutton’s van smashed head-on into a Citroen C4 being driven by Paul Todd, who was on his way home from a family trip at Knowsley Safari Park, with his wife Elaine and their three grandchildren. Mrs Todd, 63, was most seriously injured - suffering a double fracture to her left shoulder.
