Woman avoids jail after driving into Cheshire nursery playground, injuring three children
Three young children were hurt, including a two-year-old pinned between the car and a brick wall
A woman who drove into a nursery school playground in Ellesmere Port, injuring three young children, has been given a suspended prison sentence.
63-year-old Jayne James, of Knottingley Drive, Great Sutton, was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for 12 months at Chester Magistrates' Court on Thursday 24th September.
She was also handed a two-year driving ban.
James had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at the same court on Wednesday 26th August.
The court heard that on Tuesday 16th June, James drove a grey Omoda people carrier into the car park of the nursery just off Vale Road, Ellesmere Port, on a school drop off.
The vehicle then moved forward at pace and hit a wooden fence separating the car park from the playground, which was occupied by 22 children aged between two and three years old.
It continued through the playground before hitting a brick wall, pinning a two-year-old boy between the front wheel of the vehicle and the wall.
Two other children were injured by flying debris as the car crashed through the fence, sustaining minor injuries.
A member of staff on the playground at the time quickly intervened, pulled the trapped child out from under the car and called emergency services.
All three children were taken to hospital and have since been discharged after sustaining minor injuries.
The child who had been pinned by the vehicle sustained a considerable friction burn to their torso, believed to be caused by the still-moving wheel they had become trapped under.
James was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
In interview, she told officers she had been driving the vehicle at the time but could not remember any specific details of how it happened.
She said she had been driving the vehicle for a number of months, but mentioned there was a feature on the Omoda, an automatic vehicle, that meant it would begin to accelerate if a certain pedal was pressed while it was stationary.
Following an examination of the vehicle by officers, it was determined to have no mechanical faults that could have caused or contributed to the crash.
Detective Sergeant Amy Hollis, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "The lives of over 20 young children were put at serious risk as a result of James' inability to control her vehicle. Three of them were injured, one of them was trapped between the vehicle and a brick wall, all of them were left scared.
"Despite the distressing nature of the incident, I would like to give the members of staff who helped get the children to safety, as well as the attending Cheshire Police and emergency service colleagues who managed the scene my profound thanks for their efforts.
"The outcome could have been very different. I am very glad to hear that all the children injured in the collision both directly and indirectly have been discharged from hospital and have since made a full physical recovery. That being said, they and their families continue to be supported by our partner agencies as a result of the emotional and psychological impact of the collision which is likely to have a lasting result."