Police pay tribute to football coach as driver who left him registered disabled is jailed
Last updated 19th May 2026
A man described by friends as "one of the nicest people you will ever meet" says he has “lost some of the best years” of his life after he was knocked down in a hit-and-run while out celebrating the New Year in Berwick.
Jack Forster had been returning from a night out with friends in the early hours of January 1st last year, when a vehicle being driven by Liam James, from Tweedmouth, mounted the pavement in the town's Marygate and collided with him.
The 21-year-old footballer, who was employed as a coach by the Newcastle United Foundation and played for East of Scotland League side Coldstream, had to have surgery to remove parts of his skull and is now registered as disabled.
James, who's 24, drove away from the scene - leaving his victim in the road - but was later traced and charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving to which he pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court in March.
He was jailed for two-and-a-half years when he returned for sentence on Friday. He was also disqualified from driving for four years and three months.
The court heard James had texted a relative following the collision and told them he was “black out drunk and drove home”.
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In his victim personal statement, Mr Forster said he has to undergo numerous sessions of rehabilitation since the crash to improve his mobility, speech and language and to help get him back into full-time work.
He added: “Between the time of having my skull removed and getting the metal plate put in my head, my life has been awful. I’ve no normal life, spent most of my time in hospitals or in and out of hospitals.
“I’ve had no life at all. I’ve not been able to function normally as I did before the crash.
“It’s been an extremely sad and frustrating time for me and all the people around me. Especially for something which was so needless as someone hitting me in their car when I was walking along the pavement minding my own business.
“I’ve lost some of the best years of my life, it’s been totally wasted.”
The community has rallied round to support Jack following the incident, with almost £20,000 raised in an online crowdfunder.
Following James’ sentence, Inspector Sarah Munnelly, of Northumbria Police’s Operations department, said: “Firstly, we’d like to pay tribute to the victim in this case.
“Mr Forster has been through a truly horrendous ordeal and I hope that now the person who caused his significant injuries has been jailed he and his family will be able to take a degree of closure.
“Liam James’ actions in the early hours of New Year’s Day last year were utterly deplorable. Not only was he several times the limit for alcohol, but he left the scene immediately following the collision and didn’t notify the emergency services of what had taken place.
“We are pleased that he has now rightly been jailed after pleading guilty to the serious offence with which he was charged."
And she added: “I sincerely hope that this case acts as a deterrent to anybody thinking of driving after having had excess alcohol. This set of circumstances demonstrates that by choosing to do so, you put yourself and others at significant risk. Make the right decision and avoid tragedy.”
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