A drink driver who was caught by police after causing a horrific crash that left a young woman requiring an amputation has been jailed.
Leigh Brean, 43, was driving a Volkswagen Tiguan with two passengers along the A38 near Bristol Airport after a night out.
Over a period of five hours, Brean had drunk ten pints before getting behind the wheel of the car.
Once on the A38 he overtook two bendy buses on a stretch of road where overtaking is not allowed.
He hit one of the buses and collided with a Fiat 500 traveling in the opposite direction.
Officers arrived on the scene and suspected Brean of drink driving, but he pleaded his innocence, insisting he was not the driver and refusing to take a roadside test.
In the footage released by authorities today, Brean can be seen leaning against the vehicle as he tells police, “The driver is gone,” before saying he does not know the vehicle's owner or name of the person driving the car. .
The female victim was in a coma for two months after the collision and suffered traumatic injuries to the arm, which had to be amputated at the elbow.
Leigh Brean, 43, was driving a Volkswagen Tiguan with two passengers along the A38 near Bristol Airport after a night out
Once on the A38 he overtook two bendy buses on a stretch of road where overtaking is not allowed
She also suffered injuries to her leg and brain.
The second victim suffered significant internal bleeding and bruising after the blow on October 28, 2023.
Brean was jailed for three years and two months and told not to drive for eleven years and seven months.
The verdict comes after he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to provide evidence.
The family of one of the victims, who did not want to be named, said: 'The best thing about this sentence was the length of the driving ban.
'We are aware of how many careless motorists are on the road and having one less on the road is a very welcome prospect.
“We hope that other judges will take note of this aspect of Brean's sentence in the future.”
Passing sentence, Judge Martin Picton said: 'Your decision to drive while drunk has resulted in causing unimaginable harm to (your victim).
In the footage released by authorities today, Brean can be seen leaning against the vehicle as he tells police, “The driver is gone,” before saying he does not know the vehicle's owner or name of the person driving the car.
Brean was jailed for three years and two months and told not to drive for eleven years and seven months
The female victim was left in a coma for two months after the collision and suffered traumatic injuries to the arm, which had to be amputated at the elbow.
'She was someone full of energy and enthusiasm for life and a successful businesswoman. She was physically very active both at work and in her free time.
“As a result of your actions, her life is now a shadow of what it once was and she will never recover from the damage you caused when you chose to drive dangerously and be heavily intoxicated.
“Your remorse will provide no comfort to the female victim, her family or her partner who also suffered harm as a result of being in the car at the time of the collision.”
Officer on the case, Detective Inspector Victoria Anderson, said she hoped Brean's conviction will be “a strong deterrent” for anyone considering getting behind the wheel of a car if he or she is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or decides to drive into a dangerous or hazardous situation. whimsical way.
She added: “This case has shown how the impact of one decision can have a lifelong impact on everyone involved.
“The victims and their families have shown incredible strength and resilience in the face of such adversity, and their patience as they waited for justice has been rewarded.
“But they now have to live with the impact of one individual's utter recklessness.”
