A woman crossing a road in Manchester was left seriously injured after two drivers took part in what a court heard was 'competitive racing'. Tyler Campbell, 23, was jailed for 28 months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking.
Drivers employed by National Tyres
Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Campbell, Charlie Walker, 23, and Nickalos Dean, 26, were all employed by National Tyres in Denton. Dean was described as the assistant manager, while Campbell and Walker were tyre fitters.
The court was told the company had a contract with a firm called Enterprise, which had sent a Vauxhall Corsa in for repairs. Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, said Campbell and Walker 'stole' the Corsa and left the garage 'in convoy' with Dean, who was driving his own car, also a Corsa, at around 6pm on February 8, 2024.
'Competitive' driving on Hyde Road
Ms Boocock said the two drivers 'engaged in dangerous driving' that was 'competitive' in its nature. The Corsa, she added, should have been taken inside the garage and the keys put in a safe.
The court was told the two cars were overtaking other vehicles at speed and being driven in close proximity to each other. "The Prosecution's case is that the two vehicles were competitively driving - there is no other realistic explanation," Ms Boocock said.
Campbell was said to have been travelling at 57mph - almost twice the speed limit - and Dean at around 51mph in the 30mph zone where the collision happened, on the A57 Hyde Road in Debdale, near Gorton.
Victim's recovery and sentencing
Ms Boocock said Mariama Tangigora, who was 44 at the time, had just got off a bus and was crossing the road when she was hit by the Corsa Campbell was driving and thrown into the air, landing on a pavement. She spent eight months in hospital with serious multiple injuries, two of them in a coma, and is still recovering. The court was told she needs ongoing care.
"I still do not remember what happened to me on the day of the crash," she said in a statement read out in court. "My life is different. I hope one day I will be fully better."
Campbell, the court heard, went to overtake a bus at the time. He and Walker did not get out to check on her or call the emergency services. Ms Boocock said they 'deposited' the car nearby then got an Uber to return to National Tyres and 'sought to blame others by returning the key [to the Corsa] to their workplace'. The theft of the car was reported the next day, but all three had been captured on CCTV.
Campbell, of Pilling Street, Denton, was jailed for 28 months. Dean, of Rawsthorne Avenue, Manchester, admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for 12 months, suspended for a year, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the community. Walker, of Oldham Street, Hyde, admitted aggravated vehicle taking and was jailed for six months, suspended for 12 months. All three were also banned from driving.
The judge, Recorder Geoff Lowe, described the incident as 'an episode of competitive racing' with 'tragic consequences'. He said Campbell had 'decided to overtake in a very dangerous situation' and was travelling 'too fast' when he hit Ms Tangigora. "She is still suffering from the consequences of that collision," he said as he handed down the sentences. "You all realised that you were culpable in one way or another."
