Drink driver who caused serious injury to man and baby jailed

A drink driver who caused serious injury to a man and a young baby in a collision has been jailed.

Richard Hefford, 35, was driving his Ford Fiesta car in Ambleside Drive, Leicester, at around 7pm on Sunday 7 August last year when he was involved in a collision with a red Audi car.

Richard Hefford

 

A baby girl who was inside the Ford car was taken to hospital by ambulance following the collision where she was treated for serious injuries. The baby girl has since made a recovery following the incident.

The male driver of the Audi, who is in his 20s, also required hospital treatment following the incident. He has also since been discharged.

Police were called to the scene of the collision at the time where Hefford made himself known to officers as the driver of the Ford vehicle. A roadside breath test was carried out on Hefford which he failed. In custody, a further breath sample was taken. The lowest reading provided was 63 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Enquiries at the scene led to Hefford, of Kelso Green, Leicester,  being charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of driving while above the legal alcohol limit. He pleaded guilty to all of the charges at court.

Yesterday (Wednesday) at Leicester Crown Court, he was sentenced to a total of two and a half years imprisonment.

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Anita Rose said: “Hefford’s actions on that day had serious consequences. It is extremely lucky that those consequences were not far worse.

“The decision to drink drive can destroy lives. If you have been drinking, please think before you get behind the steering wheel of a vehicle of the danger you will be putting yourselves and others in. It is never safe to take that risk.”