'Coward' driver 'probably laughing' over sentence for leaving man for dead in high-speed Leeds horror smash
A judge blasted a driver who left a man for dead in a high-speed crash, calling him a “coward” and said he is “probably laughing”, knowing he will get a reduced sentence.
Adam Kirk was jailed for more than three years at Leeds Crown Court for the sickening smash which left the man in intensive care with bleeds on his brain and a fractured spine.
Kirk, who has numerous driving offences already, was high on cannabis at the time, was banned from the road, was being chased by police and ran from the crash scene before hiding in a nearby shed.
But with the 36-year-old already recalled to prison for previous offences, Judge Ray Singh lamented his own lacks of power to make Kirk serve his latest sentence consecutively, telling him he is “probably laughing” at that fact.
He also sternly told Kirk that he is convinced he will ignore his ban and get behind the wheel again once released.
He said: “There are things in life you can be sure of....I’m sure you will drive again.
“You just carry on unabated. There have been catastrophic ramifications, and you really do not care one jot.
“If you did, you would not have got behind the wheel. You cared only about yourself because you ran from the scene.
“You were scared and hid in a shed like the coward you are.”
The court was told that Kirk, of Holtdale Fold, Adel, was in an Audi A3 on the evening of November 15 last year which was seen speeding towards Harrogate Road in Alwoodley.
At one point he was driving at 100mph in a 30mph zone, prosecutor Emily Hassell told the court, and was being pursued by officers.
Just after 10pm, the victim had been turning on the central reservation to head north on the dual carriageway of Harrogate Road, when Kirk approached.
Due to his high speed, he was unable to avoid the Lexus, driven by the 48-year-old man.
He smashed into the back of the car close to the junction with Sandhill Drive.
Despite suffering from a leg injury, Kirk ran and hid in the nearby shed but was found and arrested about an hour later. He was found to have cannabis in his system.
Doorbell footage captured the horror smash which was played to the court.
The victim was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and a CT scan showed a fractured skull, spine and multiple bleeds to his brain.
He was taken to intensive care for two days, then a high-dependency ward for two weeks.
He spent another seven weeks in hospital with abnormal speech and unable to walk without a zimmer frame.
During his police interview, Kirk denied being the driver, then tried to blame the victim.
He eventually admitted causing serious injury through dangerous driving, driving while banned, without insurance and possession of cannabis, after small bags of the drug were found in the Audi.
He has 36 previous convictions for 66 offences, including multiple driving offences.
Mitigating, Michael Walsh said Kirk realised the court had “no other option” but to give him a custodial sentence.
He admitted Kirk, who is a father to two young children, could not explain why he drove at such dangerous speeds that day, other than that he makes “poor decisions” when under stress, and that he was having relationship troubles.
But Judge Singh dismissed the mitigation, calling Kirk a “career criminal”.
Following his arrest, Kirk was recalled to prison to complete his previous 28-month sentence for drug smuggling and dangerous driving and will not be eligible for parole until April next year.
Judge Singh jailed Kirk for 40 months and banned him from driving for six years and eight months.