Dangerous driver jailed after seriously injuring a nurse & a man near Merry Hill shopping centre
The dangerous driver who wrecked the lives of two of his passengers after being begged to "slow down" has been jailed for three years.
Before sending James Hendley down the judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court described his driving "like from a character in a Fast and the Furious movie".
The court heard that Hendley offered his girlfriend's mates, Melissa Cooper and Brandon Williams, a lift to pubs in Brierley Hill after drinking several Jack Daniels on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.
Hendley's then girlfriend and Brandon told police the driver was 'showing off', 'weaving' and was told to stop 'driving like an idiot'.
After being seen driving recklessly through Brierley Hill, Hendley, of Thornleigh, Lower Gornal, lost control near Merry Hill Shopping Centre, the court was told. The VW Toureg flattened a lamppost, smashed into a wall and was only prevented from falling down an embankment thanks to a barrier on Waterfront Way.
His girlfriend clambered out of the car, while Melissa lay stricken in the middle of the road and Brandon had been thrown down an embankment. Hendley tried to shift the blame, asking his then girlfriend: "Why was Brandon driving?"
Then, with all three of his passengers injured, Henley ran away from the scene without calling for help and then pitched up at an ex-girlfriend's house where he drank more and sniffed cocaine.
