Banned driver rolled car on Leeds street and fled scene leaving stricken female passenger with broken neck

Darian Anderson-Browne, who has been caught behind the wheel before having never passed his test, failed to adhere to a give-way sign in the Woodhouse Moor area of Leeds before rolling his VW Polo.

He had a male passenger in the front, and a female in the back. They had been to the pub and were heading home at around midnight on July 29 last year, prosecutor Andrea Parnham told Leeds Crown Court.

They had travelled along St Mark’s Road but Anderson-Browne failed to negotiate the junction with Raglan Road. Although not thought to be travelling at excessive speed, the 30-year-old struck the embankment opposite, causing the car to become airborne before it spun 180-degrees and rolled onto its side, coming to a stop around 20 metres from the road.

Anderson-Browne and the male passenger dragged the female passenger from the stricken car, but then left the scene before the emergency services arrived. She was found to have a fracture to her neck.

He admitted causing serious injury through driving while banned.

The court heard that Anderson-Browne, of Oatland Green, Sheepscar, has four previous convictions for 18 offences, including being banned in 2015 for dangerous driving. He was ordered to take an extended re-test to obtain a licence, but has never sat the test.

He was jailed in July this year for four years for dealing crack cocaine and heroin. The crash predates his dealing offences and was on bail when he was caught with the drugs.

Mitigating, Glenn Parsons said: “He rightly feel ashamed as he left this lady and fled the scene. He must not have been aware that the junction was coming. He has, thankfully, accepted his responsibility. Fortunately the passenger has made a full recovery."

Judge Robin Mairs told Anderson-Browne: “No realistic explanation has been given as to why this accident occurred. The strong inference is that you were unfit in some manner to drive that car. Mercifully, and through luck rather than design, her injuries were not worse.”

He jailed him for 12 months, which will be consecutive to his existing four-year term. He was also banned from driving for 58 months.