Sheffield drug-driver's crash after police pursuit left his partner with a broken leg
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Simon Cookland, aged 32, of Sheffield Road, Woodhouse, Sheffield, had been seen by officers in a police vehicle on Upper Sheffield Road, near Worsbrough, Barnsley, and he was followed after it was thought he had been driving at speed as he approached Bluebell Bank, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.
Matthew Burdon, prosecuting, told the hearing on April 19 that police followed Cookland’s VW Passat as it turned to Bank End Road and drove away at speed and manoeuvred to the wrong side of the road turning to Thicket Lane and nearly colliding with an oncoming vehicle.
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Hide AdThe pursuit continued to West Street and Sheffield Road, according to Mr Burdon, and as police tried to locate the Passat they came across a head-on collision between the Passat and a Vauxall estate which suggested the Passat had been on the wrong side of the road.
Mr Burdon said: “They heard a scream from the VW Passat. The driver was arrested and the front seat passenger - his partner - was trapped in the vehicle and it appeared her leg was broken.”
Cookland’s partner, who did not support the prosecution, stated she had broken her tibia, fibula and a small bone in her foot.
The defendant, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and to two counts of exceeding the drug-drive limit concerning cannabis and cocaine after the incident on August 3, 2020.
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Hide AdMark Bates, defending, said Cookland has a long-term drug issue and accepts this incident was entirely his wrong-doing.
Mr Bates added: “He is very sorry for what he has done, particularly to his partner, and to her credit she is standing by him.”
Recorder Mark McKone QC told Cookland: “This case involves a police chase at speed about Barnsley town centre. You risked killing and injuring other people for your selfish reasons. You had taken drugs and did not want to be disqualified.”
Recorder McKone sentenced Cookland to 16 months of custody suspended for two years with a nine-month curfew and a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. Cookland was disqualified from driving for three years.
