Tue Sep 10 17:51:49 UTC 2024: ## Drug Driver Jailed for Hitting Four-Year-Old Boy on Scooter

**Liverpool, UK -** A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months, for causing serious injury to a four-year-old boy while driving under the influence of cocaine. Nathan Humphreys, of Morley, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing serious injury, drug driving, and possession of a class B drug (cannabis).

The incident occurred last August when Humphreys, driving a work van, ran a red light and hit the boy on a pelican crossing outside Lime Street station. Dashcam footage showed that Humphreys had overtaken three stationary vehicles by veering into the bus lane and then swerved back into the right-hand lane, running the red light.

The boy, who was crossing the street on his scooter with his mother, suffered a fractured skull, a fractured eye socket, bruising, and swelling to his face. He spent 24 hours under neurological observation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and was discharged four days later. However, the incident has left him traumatized and scared to go out.

Humphreys initially told police that the boy had run out in front of him, but dashcam footage contradicted his statement. Drug tests revealed that he had benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine, in his system at a level three times the legal limit.

During sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint highlighted the serious nature of the offense, stating, “It’s a matter of simple luck in this case that the boy was not more seriously injured, or worse.” She also emphasized the impact on the boy’s mother, describing her distress at seeing her son injured.

While acknowledging Humphreys’ remorse and accepting mitigation factors, the judge emphasized that “it was your fault in the first place for what you did that day.”

In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Humphreys was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for 30 months, after which he must pass an extended re-test.

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