By Sara Malm
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A woman who risked the life of an antiques shop owner by driving away with him grasping onto her car bonnet escaped jail after a judge heard she was high on speed at the time.
Mandy McGuigan, 42, had visited Simon Webster's store in Yorkshire Dales to sell a painting but after being refused reversed into his store as she tried to drive away.
Mr Webster rushed out of the shop and, thinking Ms McGuigan was drunk, tried to stop her from leaving by standing in front of the car - when she suddenly sped off, knocking him onto her bonnet.
Scroll down to see the moment this happened...
McGuigan, left, leave court after she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and Simon Webster pictured outside Bradford Crown court after the verdict today
Mandy McGuigan speeds off in her Peugeot 307 despite shop owner Mr Webster have clung to her car bonnet
Bradford Crown Court heard how 46-year-old Mr Webster, manager of Heathcote Antiques, took a stand to prevent her from harming other road users but ended up clinging on for dear life as the Peugeot 307 took off speeding through a red light on the wrong side of the road.
He was flung off and suffered a broken shoulder with lacerations to the back of the head and knee.
Judge Jonathan Durham-Hall QC said it was with ‘obvious reluctance’ that he handed out a suspended sentence but a psychiatric report stated that McGuigan would relapse into substance abuse if she was jailed.
The court heard that McGuigan, from Colne, Lancshire, has now turned her back on seven years of drink and amphetamine abuse.
She was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years after she pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving on 22 June, last year.
Webster initially signals to McGuigan in her car after suspecting that she had reversed into his shop
CCTV footage from the day shows black smoke coming out of McGuigan's car exhaust as she revs the engine and then drives off with Mr Webster hanging onto the bonnet.
Traffic sergeant Peter Stringer, of North Yorkshire Police, said: ‘ She drove away at speed, through a red traffic light into heavy traffic and taking a sharp bend, at which point Mr Webster fell off. She didn’t stop and carried on driving all the way home to Lancashire.
‘Her demeanor in the shop gave Mr Webster concern and he acted in a proper manner.
After the case at Bradford Crown Court Mr Webster said he accepted the judge’s sentence.
Mr Webster, standing beside his daughter Jade, 22, said: ‘I’m still in pain, but at least I escaped with my life. I could have been killed that day.
‘It was a horrific experience, but I hope it works out for her because we all have to move on.
‘It was lucky that she was driving on the wrong side of the road because if she’d been on the correct side I would have come off and hit a wall, then I dread to think what would have happened, she could have been facing a murder charge.
‘I don’t know what I would do if I was in the same position again, maybe I would do the same.’
Mr Webster described the event which occurred almost a year ago to the date: 'After she left the shop I heard a bang which made all the windows shake and I ran outside to find she had reversed into the building.
He then leans on her vehicle after she ignores his pleas which eventually sees her speed off with him on the bonnet
'I approached her to point out what she had just done and was greeted by some very choice language indeed, words you wouldn’t hear on Lovejoy.
'I told the lads who work with me to phone the police because I didn’t think she was capable of driving and I stood one foot in front of her car to prevent her driving away, but then she hit the gas and I was knocked onto the bonnet.
'I was clinging on for dear life, but I realised she had no intention of stopping or slowing down and at a tight bend I was thrown onto the road.'
'I was screaming at her to stop but she wouldn’t. I didn’t think she would stop so I had to launch myself off.'
Judge Durham-Hall QC also ordered her to complete 300 hours unpaid work in the community, be supervised for two years, wear an electronic tag, and obey a 7pm-7am curfew for six months.
She has also been banned from driving for two years and must retake a driving test before she is allowed back on the road.
McGuigan must also pay Mr Webster 750 compensation.
Judge Durham-Hall said Mr Webster was rightly concerned by her behaviour whilst in Heathcote Antiques, in Cross Hill, near Skipton, and believed she was drunk.
‘Especially when you reversed your car into his shop, making a very loud noise, he and others rushed out to take action, said the judge.
‘It is clear that he showed remarkable bravery and scant regard for his own safety and that it to be commended.
‘He stood infront of your car and was carried away by your car - you knew exactly what you were doing.’
McGuigan was due to stand trial for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but the prosecution accepted her plea that she didn’t intend to injury Mr Webster.
Prosecutor Miss Abigail Langford said McGuigan had previous convictions for offences against the police.
A psychiatric report stated she maybe on the bi-polar spectrum, but now she is in a steady relationship and has stopped taking drugs and drink she is able to manage her condition better.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Thanks to Doctor Who, bow ties are back. But will good taste and chivalry follow? - Daily Telegraph Blogs
Bow tie wearing isn't just a fashion statement. It ought to be a way of life
Apparently bow ties are back. No longer the preserve of antique dealers, Harvard professors, sadistic doctors and Neil Hamilton, their popularity has resurged thanks to Doctor Who. As played by Matt Smith, the time travelling omnisexual (I seem to recall that in one episode he flirted with a tree woman) has declared that “bow ties are cool,” and sales have surged as a result. This is great news for all us closet bow tie lovers. No longer will we have to stay indoors, drinking green chartreuse and listening to Wagner. Now we can walk the streets proudly, our tartan bows displayed for all the world to see. “We’re here! We’re square! Get used to it!”
I became aware of the progressive shift in attitudes last year when filming a TV interview by the Thames. I was mid-oration, when a school trip passed us by and stopped to stare at my bow tie. I’m more than used to the cruel laughter of eight-year olds, so I dismissed this as another lynch mob in the making. But instead of the normal shouts of “weirdo” and “posh sod,” a boy cried, “Where’s yer TARDIS?” Thinking that they had walked into a filming of the new series of Doctor Who, I suddenly found myself surrounded by adoring fans. It was great for a while, until the questions about daleks and cybermen got too much. I lost my cool and snapped, “Beat it kid, I’m trying to make some money here.” The crowd dispersed with a sad “Awww.” But in some primary school somewhere, my legend lives on.
It’s tempting to put the return of bow ties down to young fogeyism – the aping of Tory traditionalism among square teens. But actually our culture is taking a turn for the vintage in many other areas, too. A decade or so ago, the British uniform was dressed down and ugly – all shaven heads and baggy jeans. Today, The Only Way Is Essex heralds a new obsession with male grooming, sharp suits, gelled hair and women tanned to a crisp. Perhaps the election of David Cameron heralded a zeitgeist shift, or perhaps the consumer wealth of the Blair generation means that people could splash out on a smarter wardrobe. Either way, it’s a welcome change. Last week, Prince Charles joked that he had become a fashion icon simply by dressing the same as he always had. That’s how trends work: they come around in long cycles that make the old new again every other generation. I swear that soon the standard dress will be flairs and a monocle.
But just because the clothes are back, doesn’t mean the manners will follow. Before Matt Smith, bow ties weren’t just a statement of taste. They also spoke to a conservative rebellion against vulgarian culture: a refusal to be blandly egalitarian. They’re jolly difficult to tie, which means that the effort to put one on adds a degree of philosophy to the dressing process. There’s a Taoism to bow tie wearing: one has to be in the right mind to put one on and carry it off. That requires a close shave, a clean shirt, well managed hair, shiny shoes and a jacket carefully chosen to give prominence to the tie. Throw one on haphazardly and you’ll look like an urbane tramp.
By contrast, I suspect that Smith et al are wearing bow ties in a more ironic and casual way than they ought. I hope that’s not true, and I pray that with elegant dressing we’ll see a revival of chivalry and politeness. Theoretically – if approached correctly – mass bow tie wearing could change our society for the better. You’re unlikely to vandalise anything, vomit in public or start a pub fight if wearing a bow tie. Unless, of course, you’re a member of the Bullingdon Club.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
"...she is in a steady relationship and has stopped taking drugs and drink she is able to manage her condition better" Well then, if that's all it takes to walk at the Bradford Crown Court, I would run out and rob a bank while I could still "manage my condition."
- Kingfish, Atlanta, USA, 22/6/2012 19:49
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