Drink-driving school worker, 48, who hit three cyclists and left them lying injured in the road as she drove home from the pub with her daughter is jailed for 25 months
- Sandra Graham, 48, had stopped at a pub where she drank wine and cider
- On the way home she hit members of Northumbria Cycling Club and drove off
- Newcastle Crown Court told she learned a ‘savage lesson’ as she starts jail term
A school worker driving home from the pub after downing cider and wine to celebrate the start of the summer holidays hit several cyclists and drove off.
Chemistry technician Sandra Graham and her friend had taken their daughters skating in Whitley Bay before they stopped at a local pub.
After dropping off her passengers the 48-year-old was driving home on the A193 Links Road, at Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, when she hit three members of Northumbria Cycling Club and drove away.
Newcastle Crown Court was told she was followed by another motorist who saw what happened and snapped a photo of her Toyota Yaris.
Sandra Graham had left the pub after drinking wine and cider before she hit the cyclists from Northumbria Cycling Club and drove away
Head teacher David Tickner suffered injuries including a fractured pelvic bone and hip socket in the incident while Terry Slater suffered several rib fractures, a broken upper arm and had snapped ligaments in his shoulder and collar bone.
The third cyclist Craig Scope lost movement in his arm and shoulder due to his injuries.
Graham, of Beaumont Manor, Blyth, Northumberland, admitted two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol and failing to stop after an accident.
The court heard Graham failed an initial breath test. Later tests at the police station showed her to be on the legal limit.
But a back calculation of the data showed she could have been around one-and-a-half times the drink drive limit at the time of the crash.
Cyclists David Ticker, Terry Slater and Craig Scope, pictured before the incident, suffered several injuries in the incident
Christopher Knox, defending, said Graham is not a ‘hardened drinker’ and would not habitually drive while over the limit but probably had ‘more alcohol than she realised’ that day.
He added her husband drove her back to the scene after she got home and ‘her senses returned to her’.
Mr Knox said: ‘Her car wasn’t even scratched. It was the wing mirror which collided with the cyclists and caused the serious accident and unfortunately caused the terrible, serious injuries to them, for which she is mortified.
‘She has learned a savage lesson.’
Judge Edward Bindloss jailed her for 25 months and imposed a four year driving ban.
He said: ‘Visibility was good, road conditions were good but you were intoxicated and your driving before, during and after the collision was dangerous.
‘You drove your car into and collided with all three of them.
‘Afterwards, in panic and no doubt with judgement affected by drink and in my judgement to avoid detection, you drove away at speed, including through a red light and on the wrong side of the road.’