A pedestrian who was left in a coma after being struck by a police car during a 96mph chase has said he blames the fleeing driver, not the officer behind the wheel. The 41-year-old father-of-one was hit on Rochdale Road in the early hours of November 19, 2023, as PC Sam Lockley pursued a Seat Leon driven by Cameron Grainger through Rochdale.
The victim, a forklift truck driver originally from Poland, suffered nine broken ribs, fractured vertebrae, a broken leg and ankle, a broken arm, a punctured lung, and damage to his pancreas and kidneys. He spent almost two weeks in a coma and four months in hospital, followed by nine months bedbound and a period in a wheelchair.
Victim's statement read in court
In a victim impact statement read to Manchester Crown Court, the man said his life had fallen apart. He described feeling 'exhausted and apathetic' and said the collision had 'taken a severe toll on [his] mental health'. His relationship with the mother of his daughter broke down, and he said he felt humiliated at being unable to support his family.
Grainger, 25, sobbed in the dock as the statement was read: "My life will never by the same again. At the time for a long period afterwards I blamed the the police driver for what happened to my life. Now I think about it, I do not blame the police driver. I blame the man that was drinking and driving and being chased by the police. It was all his fault. Mr Grainger is the one who has ruined my life and my family's life and probably this police man and his life, too. Why did he not just get a taxi?"
Details of the chase
The court heard Grainger had been drinking with friends at Empire bar and the Cuban Lounge in Rochdale town centre before getting behind the wheel at 3.25am. Council CCTV officials alerted police, and PC Lockley pursued the Seat Leon after it was blocked in by a police van.
Grainger drove at speeds up to 96mph on 30mph suburban roads, swerving onto the wrong side of the road and running red lights. After a mile-and-a-half chase, PC Lockley lost control at around 60mph on Rochdale Road, mounting the pavement and hitting the pedestrian, then aged 38. Prosecutor Rob Hall said it was 'only good fortune' that Grainger had not struck the pedestrian or other road users.
Grainger's history and sentencing
Grainger, of Rooley Street in Rochdale, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the second day of his trial. He was later involved in another police pursuit in a stolen van, reaching 70mph through Rochdale before crashing down an embankment and jumping into the River Roche on October 26.
He had 15 previous convictions, mostly motoring offences, dating back to when he was 14. Sentencing, Mr Recorder Daniel Lister said the injuries were 'catastrophic' and Grainger had shown a 'disregard for other road users'. Grainger was jailed for four years and five months and banned from driving for six years and two months.
His girlfriend Tegan Clements, 23, was handed a 20-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months after admitting making a false statement. Detective Sergeant Louise Warhurst said: "Cameron Grainger made the conscious decision to get behind the wheel after spending several hours drinking alcohol and, when officers attempted to stop him, chose instead to drive at speed and in a manner that showed a complete disregard for the safety of others."
