Myron Wallace, aged 27, was spared jail following a ‘surprising’ decision by the Crown Prosecution Service
Myron Wallace(Image: West Midands Police)
This is the face of a ‘show-off’ NHS worker who left a pedestrian in a coma after nearly tripling the speed limit.
Myron Wallace admitted he was ‘being an idiot’ when he pelted down Icknield Port Road in Edgbaston in his Volkswagen Polo full of passengers.
He was doing as fast as 87mph on the 30mph street shortly before pedestrian Michael Bird tried to cross the road.
READ MORE: Pimp and kids’ author jailed over prostitution of young girls in city
Wallace swerved and braked but was still over the limit when he struck the 29-year-old, who had been to a boxing event with family at nearby H Suite.
Mr Bird suffered catastrophic injuries including a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, multiple other broken bones and a dislocated elbow.
H Suite in Edgbaston
Despite that, and the fact Wallace had previous driving related convictions, he was spared jail at Birmingham Crown Court this week following a ‘surprising’ decision by the Crown Prosecution Service.
They accepted the 27-year-old’s plea to causing serious injury by careless driving which allowed Judge Simon Drew KC to suspend his sentence of ten months because it was below the two-year threshold.
However, he commented he was ‘very surprised’ the CPS had not sought to convict him of the more serious offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which has harsher sentencing guidelines.
Judge Drew added: “You were showing off to your friends in the car and as a result when you were driving so fast – although nobody is able to say precisely how fast – when the victim started to cross the road you were going so quickly you simply couldn’t stop and hit him.
“The injuries he suffered were frankly, catastrophic.”
But he concluded jailing Wallace for what would be a relatively short period of four months in custody – applying the 40 per cent release rule – would have ‘significant ramifications’ for him, including jeopardising his support worker job in the NHS.
Wallace mowed down Mr Bird around 11.30pm on March 16 last year.
Prosecutor Sally Cairns said: “The defendant stopped briefly after the collision.
“Mr Bird’s brother confronted him and punched him to the face through an open window. The defendant drove off.”
The Polo was found damaged at Tesco in Dudley two days later and Wallace ultimately attended a police station voluntarily.
Myron Wallace(Image: West Midands Police)
Ms Cairns continued: “He took full responsibility. In interview he said he was driving at speeds between 70 to 80mph.
“He said he was being an idiot, saw someone crossing the road and braked hard.
“He thought his speed was between 40 and 50mph.
“He tried to steer to avoid the pedestrian but he moved in the same direction as his car and he hit him.”
Wallace, of Bloomfield Road, Tipton, has previous convictions for driving with excess drugs and driving while disqualified.
Haroon Khattak, defending, insisted he was genuinely remorseful and ‘deeply’ troubled by the injuries to Mr Bird, who spent more than six weeks at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital including over three weeks in a coma.
The barrister argued a driving ban, as opposed to prison, would adequately deal with the ongoing risk he presents to the public when behind the wheel.
Wallace’s jail sentence was suspended for two years, while he was disqualified from driving for five years and told he must take an extended retest.
He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, 30 days rehabilitation activity as well as pay £150 in costs and £2,000 compensation to Mr Bird.