Driver jailed over crash that injured children

A man who drove into oncoming traffic with three children in his car has been jailed for dangerous driving offences, after a jury cleared him of attempted murder.

Tancredo Bankhardt was speeding in his Vauxhall Astra when it crashed on the A146 near Loddon, Norfolk, in September, leaving two children and another driver seriously hurt.

Judge Mrs Justice Jennifer Eady said Bankhardt's actions were not deliberate but he was in a "highly distracted state", making voice and video calls on his journey and displaying "high levels of emotion and distress".

The 41-year-old of Saxon Road, Great Yarmouth, was jailed for four years and was given a four-and-a-half year driving ban by Norwich Crown Court.

On Tuesday, a jury of 10 men and two women found him guilty of three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one of dangerous driving.

They cleared him of three counts of attempted murder.

The trial heard that on the night of the crash Bankhardt repeatedly drove up and down a 60mph stretch of the A146 before hitting oncoming traffic, while travelling above 70mph.

He denied making threats to kill himself and intentionally ensuring his young passengers - who cannot be named for legal reasons - were not wearing seatbelts.

In a victim impact statement, a 45-year-old man whose Honda was hit by Bankhardt said he suffered three fractures to his pelvis and one to his sternum, and he experienced "physical pain on a daily basis".

Another driver he hit also had back pain following the crash.

The judge said Bankhardt had been "repeatedly" driving up and down the road, at times with his phone in his hand but at other times while using a holder.

She said he had been on a video call with his brother and had failed to dip his headlights for oncoming traffic.

She said dashcam footage showed Bankhardt "did nothing to avoid the collision", while other drivers swerved to avoid a "full head-on collision".

"I'm quite sure the horror of the evening has stayed with all those involved," she added.

She accepted his conduct on the night was "out of character" and he was under "personal stress".

Simon Spence KC, mitigating, said Bankhardt was of previous good character.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Con Sean Woolward, from Norfolk Police, said: "Multiple people suffered serious life-changing injuries in this crash caused by a number of factors, which all come back to Bankhardt.

"In choosing to drive dangerously, Bankhardt put other road users at risk.

"It is incredibly fortunate there were no fatalities and our thoughts remain with those who were injured, as they continue to recover from the trauma of that night."

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