A doctor training to be a consultant has been sentenced after causing a head-on collision while more than double the drink-drive limit, leaving a taxi driver with serious injuries.
Nayer Youakim, 37, from Solihull, West Midlands, veered onto the wrong side of Beach Road in North Shields, North Tyneside, and collided with a taxi shortly before midnight on November 24, 2024. Police tests revealed he had 72 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
The taxi driver, who had just dropped off a passenger, was hospitalised with a fractured shoulder and arm, a swollen hip, and suspected broken ribs. In a victim impact statement, he said he felt 'very lucky to be alive'. Youakim pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink-driving.
Recorder Mark McKone KC acknowledged Youakim's work as an ear, nose and throat registrar performing surgery in three hospitals, but noted his status as a doctor was uncertain. He imposed an 18-month sentence suspended for two years, 250 hours of unpaid work, £150 costs, and a two-year driving ban with an extended test requirement.
Laura Miller, defending, described the incident as an 'extraordinary lapse of judgement' and said Youakim had sought help to understand his actions.
