Four dangerous drivers from the North East have been dealt with in court for their reckless actions on the region's roads, causing havoc and heartbreak. The offenders, from Northumberland, Newcastle, and County Durham, were caught by police and brought to justice for their unsafe behaviour behind the wheel.
Mum-of-two killed farmer in phone-distraction crash
Ami Dronsfield, a mum-of-two, killed a farmer on a quad bike after being distracted by her phone for a matter of seconds. She was on her way to a hair appointment in Alnwick from her home in Glanton, Northumberland, when the collision took place in November 2024. Driving a VW Golf heading south on the A697 at Whittingham, she became distracted by her phone and was unable to see Michael Armstrong's quad bike in time.
Her car collided with his vehicle, causing him catastrophic injuries. Mr Armstrong, 58, had been on his way to check on his elderly and house-bound father when the crash took place. He was taken to the RVI in Newcastle, where he was placed in an induced coma and remained on life support for 11 days. His family remained by his bedside and "prayed for a miracle" but then had to make the difficult decision to turn off his life support following medical advice.
Dronsfield, 36, of West Turnpike, in Glanton, near Alnwick, was jailed for three years and two months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Bus driver repeatedly scrolled phone before hitting pedestrian
Liam Beamson, a speeding double decker bus driver, had been repeatedly scrolling through his phone at the wheel before smashing into a pedestrian and leaving him seriously injured. In the minutes before the impact, Beamson's eyes were off the road a staggering 63 times, and at one point he was even spraying himself with deodorant.
As he drove along 30mph Shields Road, in Byker, near its junction with Depot Road, at 45mph, he failed to see a man crossing the road until less than two seconds before hitting him. Despite braking, he was still above the speed limit when he knocked him over. Beamson told police he had been looking for a good song and admitted it was "absolutely ridiculous", and later said he had been scrolling through TikTok at the wheel.
The victim, 33, who had been out with his friend but was not intoxicated, was left with fractures to his eye socket and cheek bone and wounds to his forehead and mouth. Beamson, 27, of Prospect Avenue, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, was jailed for 27 months and banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
HGV driver caused catastrophic injuries in A1 crash
Alan Reeves, an HGV driver, caused catastrophic injuries to three people when he ploughed into the back of a queue of traffic on the A1 after suffering from possible "micro-sleeps". Reeves lost concentration and smashed into the back of vehicles on the dual carriageway, near Stannington, in what was described as a "horror crash".
A court heard that the 46-year-old caused a domino effect involving four other vehicles and left one driver trapped and "sandwiched" between Reeves's lorry and a van for more than an hour. The victim, who was later resuscitated twice, was left hanging in the air by his seatbelt, and sustained serious injuries, as well as mental health issues and PTSD which left him permanently disabled.
Another driver suffered a broken leg, broken ribs and facial injuries, with the former requiring surgery to insert metal plates, and a third suffered a head injury and damage to his knee. A further family in the fourth car, a couple and their 19-month-old child, were also taken to hospital but had not suffered any serious injuries.
Giving Reeves a 30-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, Judge Clemitson said: "As a result of your offending, people were very badly hurt. In the case of [the first victim], his life has been profoundly affected by the consequences of your driving that day."
Driver jailed for dangerous overtake on hill crest
Shaun Kelsey, an "utterly appalling" driver with a bad record of motoring offences, smashed into a car during a "highly dangerous" overtake on the crest of a hill. Kelsey smelled "strongly of stale beer" and was slurring his words after the crash, and even became aggressive as he sat trapped in his vehicle.
A woman's car was written-off in the crash, and another motorist's Mini also sustained damage. On Monday, Kelsey, of Linden Park, Brandon, Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for dangerous driving and refusing to provide a sample. The 41-year-old had pleaded guilty to the offences, which were carried out on February 18 this year.
The court heard that Kelsey was driving a Vauxhall Astra dangerously along the A690 near Brancepeth and had already caught the attention of an off-duty police officer, and he had also been seen overtaking three vehicles before the crash. Judge Aisha Wadoodi said Kelsey carried out a "highly dangerous manoeuvre", and told him "Your driving was appalling and had serious consequences on a number of people, you were even aggressive when you got to hospital." Kelsey was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for four years.
