Chichester driver jailed after crashing head-on into car with children inside

A man who drove the wrong way along a road and crashed head-on into another car in Chichester has been jailed, Sussex Police has revealed.
Four people  a man, a woman and two children  were injured after thecollisionin Oaklands Way on December 27, 2018.Photo: Sussex PoliceFour people  a man, a woman and two children  were injured after thecollisionin Oaklands Way on December 27, 2018.Photo: Sussex Police
Four people a man, a woman and two children were injured after thecollisionin Oaklands Way on December 27, 2018.Photo: Sussex Police

Four people – a man, a woman and two children – were injured after the collision in Oaklands Way on December 27, 2018.

According to police, Tamian Saint, 27, also travelled the wrong way around a roundabout seconds before the incident, which happened at around 8.35pm.

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A spokesman said: "He left his Mercedes C320 and fled the scene on foot, making no attempt to check on the welfare anyone in the Skoda Felicia he crashed into.

"Four of the five occupants were treated for minor injuries at St Richard’s Hospital."

Police said Saint evaded police arrest attempts, before eventually handing himself in the next day.

The sales assistant, of Springfield Close, Lavant, was summonsed to appear before Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday, September 24, where he was sentenced to a total of 12 months’ imprisonment for offences of dangerous driving and failing to stop after a road traffic collision, police confirmed.

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Police said he was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay a £140 victim surcharge.

PC Tom Van Der Wee, of the Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “Saint drove at dangerously high speeds on the wrong side of the road in a built up area before crashing head-on with a family travelling towards him.

“He then failed not only in his legal duty to stop at the scene, but also in his morale duty by running away instead of stopping to check if everyone was okay.

“Despite being contacted by police shortly after the collision, Saint refused to return to the scene and it was not until later the following day that he came forward.

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"The fact he will be spending the foreseeable future in prison is reflective of the seriousness of the offence and he will now thankfully be off of the roads for quite some time.

“I would like to commend the actions of the members of the public – which includes off-duty medical staff from St Richard’s Hospital – who did stop to offer help to the family and also the members of the public who came forward to assist in our investigation following our witness appeal. With their help we were able to clearly evidence to the court Saint’s appalling manner of driving.

“I would also like to highlight the bravery and perseverance of the family involved in the collision who I know to this day are still affected by what happened.”