The high-speed driver responsible for a horrific collision that left the boyfriend of Gogglebox star Ellie Warner severely injured has been spared jail.
Nat Eddleston found himself in a life-threatening situation when he was struck by a Seat Ibiza while walking outside a pub in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in March last year.
The impact of the collision resulted in Nat suffering a broken neck and back, requiring life support after being thrown onto the car’s bonnet and into the air. The driver, Declan Anderson, aged 21 at the time, admitted to causing serious injury through dangerous driving and was subsequently banned from driving.
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The court heard that Anderson was traveling at a speed exceeding 40mph on a 30mph road when he collided with Mr Eddleston, who was simply making his way home from a night out with friends at the Woodman pub. Eyewitnesses recounted that the vehicle veered onto the wrong side of the road before striking Mr Eddleston shortly after midnight on March 18, 2022.
The collision was so forceful that the windscreen of the white Seat was shattered, and its roof collapsed. Medical scans later confirmed fractures to Mr Eddleston’s neck, damage to his brain nerve fibers, and bruising to both of his lungs. He spent 11 days in intensive care and had to wear a surgical halo brace as part of his recovery.
(Image: ellie_warner/Instagram)
Even now, Mr Eddleston is still in the process of recovering from the devastating accident and has been undergoing speech therapy, the court heard. Despite some improvements, he continues to grapple with various health issues.
Anderson, a resident of Bramley, West Yorkshire, remained at the accident scene and later admitted to driving the car during a voluntary police interview. Notably, his girlfriend was present in the passenger seat during the incident.
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(Image: ellie__warner/Instagram)
During the court proceedings, Lisa Judge, representing Anderson, explained that her client had swerved in an attempt to avoid other vehicles on the road. She asserted that Anderson was genuinely remorseful for his actions, despite having received a separate fine for speeding on a different occasion. In the end, Anderson was handed a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for two years.
As part of his sentence, he was ordered to undergo 20 days of probation rehabilitation and was also banned from driving for a period of three years. While delivering the sentence, Judge Ray Singh remarked: “You have shown genuine remorse for the victim in this case. It points to a mistake of a young man having made a terrible momentary misjudgment by driving dangerously.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
