Drug driver who caused crash near Abingdon to be sentenced
Ian Steele, of Kilnway, Wellingborough, pleaded guilty to one count each of driving wit a proportion of a specified drug over the legal limit and of causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving. Though he initially denied the charges and the case went to trial in November last year, he entered a guilty plea on the first day of proceedings. The charge relates to a crash which took place on the A420 near Abingdon on November 23, 2023.
Steele was driving a Peugeot 208, which was seen by other drivers to slowly drift across the carriageway until its front corner collided with an HGV approaching on the opposite side of the road. 
Taken to hospital with a police escort after the crash, Steele was found to have 30 micrograms of cocaine per litre of blood, where the driving limit is 10mg. Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe/[2]
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He also had 800mg of benzoylecgonine per litre of blood, the compound the body produces after metabolising cocaine, for which the specified driving limit is 50mg. Steele has nine previous convictions for 15 offences, including driving offences and drug offences, the most recent of which was a public order offence in 2022. At the sentencing hearing, a victim impact statement from Ms Bray, the driver who was seriously injured in the crash, was read out to the court.
In it, she described seeing Steele's car swerve before waking up in "excruciating pain", trapped in her car in a ditch at the side of the road. Eyewitnesses who stopped to help had to pull her injured body out of the car by a window, as it was on fire, and she described how "sheer panic set in" as she waited for the ambulance. She was in the hospital for five days undergoing surgery and in recovery for six weeks having suffered life-changing injuries, including fractures to her neck and spine, damage to her spinal cord and injuries to her hands and knee.
Even after her physical recovery, the collision continues to have a wider impact, the court heard. "My injuries impacted every part of my life," Ms Bray said. "It was a frightening experience which continues to haunt me." No longer able or willing to drive, she uses public transport to get around, and relies heavily on her husband, family and friends for support.
She added: "My independence and freedom have always been a matter of pride for me, however this has been taken away." Recorder Ann Mulligan said there were issues in the pre-sentence report which could be resolved during the sentencing, including Steele's ability to work and willingness to engage in drugs rehabilitation. The recorder said the sentencing would be adjourned in the interests of justice, as "this is a very serious case and the injuries caused, there is no other word for it, were devastating."
Steele will be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on October 15, when mitigation from his counsel will be heard.
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