Two brothers from a prominent family have been sentenced at Poole Crown Court for a high-speed collision that left a young girl with catastrophic, life-altering injuries on the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula.
A Day of Terror on 'Millionaire's Row'
The incident unfolded on Banks Road, a strip of coastline famed for its multi-million-pound properties and dubbed 'Britain's Palm Beach'. Harry Witheridge, 26, was behind the wheel of a powerful BMW M140i, travelling at such excessive speed that he lost control of the vehicle.
The car mounted the pavement and collided with a nine-year-old girl and her mother who were walking home from a day at the beach. The impact was so severe it threw the child into the air.
Devastating Consequences for Young Victim
The court heard harrowing details of the girl's injuries, which are permanent and will affect her for the rest of her life. She suffered a significant brain injury, a fractured skull, and a broken leg. Her family revealed the profound emotional and physical toll the crash has taken, stating that the 'carefree childhood she once enjoyed has been ripped away.'
Prosecutor Mary-Ann Wright told the court that the defendant's driving was 'dangerous from the outset,' noting the car's black box data recorded a speed of 67 mph in a 30 mph zone moments before the crash.
Brothers in the Dock: Sentences Handed Down
Harry Witheridge, of Lilliput, Poole, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years, and banned from driving for three years.
His brother, Martin Witheridge, 21, who was a passenger in the car, admitted a charge of perverting the course of justice. He falsely claimed to police that he was the driver in a misguided attempt to protect his older brother, who did not have valid insurance at the time. Martin received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
A Family's Life 'Shattered'
In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court, the girl's mother described how their lives were 'shattered in an instant.'
'The sound of the impact and the sight of my daughter lying in the road is something I will never forget,' she said. 'We now live with the constant anxiety and the heartbreaking reality of what she has lost. The defendants have shown no real remorse for the devastation they have caused.'
Judge Robert Pawson acknowledged the family's suffering but cited the brothers' guilty pleas and lack of previous convictions as factors in the suspended sentences. He ordered Harry Witheridge to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, while Martin must complete 150 hours.
