Sam James Sheppard pleads guilty to driving offences after crash

Sam James Sheppard, of Waterside in Kendal, was driving a Seat Ibiza on the B5284 on Crook Road when he crashed into the victim, who was returning home with her brother from Windermere Golf Club, South Cumbria Magistrates Court heard. Prosecutor Peter Kelly explained to magistrates how the victim was hugging the left-hand side grass verge on the road as the 23-year-old defendant was coming towards her at speed. The next thing the complainant remembered was a ‘loud bang’ and the airbags in her BMW inflating, Mr Kelly said.

A roadside test was conducted by police on scene which resulted in the defendant testing positive for driving while over the legal drug limit. Readings showed Sheppard had 165 ug/L of Benzoylecgonine and 3.3 ug/L of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in his blood. The legal limits are 50 ug/L and 2 ug/L.

The complainant’s BMW was written off as a result of the collision, the court heard. A victim impact statement said: “I was in shock and a lot of pain. I was bed-bound and bruised from head-to-toe.

I could barely move without feeling immense pain. “This has had a huge impact on me. The scars to my arm have barely faded.

I will be reminded of what happened on that particular evening for the rest of my life.” The court heard from other eyewitnesses how the defendant had overtaken several vehicles before the collision. In mitigation, his barrister David Mainwaring told the court his client could not give an account of the incident because he himself had suffered a brain injury resulting in severe memory loss.

Mr Mainwaring said: “He had been out with friends in Bowness-on-Windermere who had been drinking. The defendant was sober, so the owner of the vehicle asked the defendant if he wouldn’t mind driving. “He had taken the drugs one or two days before the collision but they were still in his system.

He had been using drugs recreationally. “He has suffered a punctured lung, broken bones and has been left with brain damage as a result. He has mental health issues and has been previously diagnosed with ADHD and autism.

“He wishes to express his remorse to the complainant and her brother.”

Sheppard pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving without a licence and third-party insurance, as well as admitting two drug driving charges.

Magistrates stood the case down until January 11 in order for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.