A Spennymoor man has been jailed after driving a pick-up truck at a pedestrian and leaving him with critical injuries.
Incident and sentencing
Shay Holmes, 24, admitted offences of wounding with intent and dangerous driving in relation to the incident in Carr Lane in the County Durham town. He has now been jailed for seven years and six months.
The incident took place shortly after 1am on January 8 this year. Holmes' sentencing at Teesside Crown Court on October 30 came following a trial of issue, known as a Newton hearing, as he disputed some circumstances of the incident, police said.
Investigation details
After the attack took place, Durham Constabulary officers launched an investigation which involved trawling through hours of CCTV footage and carrying out door-to-door enquiries in order to build a picture of Holmes' movements on the night in question.
He had taken a route covering more than three miles, officers said, and was identified as having stopped to briefly converse with a man and woman in Carr Lane before he drove at the man and left him seriously injured. Holmes then left the scene and disposed of the vehicle, police said.
Police comment
Det Ch Insp Andrew Crowe of Durham Constabulary led the investigation. He said: “Holmes knew what he was doing in the early hours of that morning and did not care about the consequences. His actions have had a lasting impact on the victim, who suffered significant injuries as a result.
“This was a lengthy and complex investigation and I am grateful to my team for their persistence and determination to uncover what happened that day. I would also like to thank the people of Spennymoor for their invaluable support and assistance throughout this investigation, which played a key role in identifying the route Holmes took.”
