Hucknall and Bulwell drivers found guilty of roles in illegal street race that caused pedestrian to lose a leg

Craig King, of Norwich Gardens, Bulwell, was racing his Mini Cooper around a roundabout on the A6097 in Bingham when he lost control and collided with a Volkswagen Golf he’d been trying to overtake.

The Golf was then shunted onto a ‘splitter island’ between the entry and exit lanes to the roundabout, where several car enthusiasts had gathered for an unauthorised meeting.

It then mounted the kerb and crashed straight into one of the cars, where a 36-year-old pedestrian, who was sat watching the race, became trapped and had his leg crushed between two of the parked cars.

The man sustained life-altering injuries from the collision on June 3, 2018, including fractures to his neck, shoulder blade, spine and pelvis, while he also suffered serious open fractures to his left leg, which had to be amputated as a result.

At the time of the collision, Ashley Walton, of Lime Tree Road, Hucknall, was also driving his Toyota around Bingham Island but slowed down dramatically to park his car on the raised traffic island on the roundabout, causing an ‘unnecessary’ risk to other drivers.

Bystanders filmed cars as they raced from a smaller island, along a straight stretch of road over the A46 dual carriageway, before looping around Bingham Island to return to the smaller island, where a new ‘lap’ would commence.

King, now aged 40, and Walton, now aged 26, were among a large number of car enthusiasts who had gathered to watch or take part in the races on the night of the collision.

Groups of cars were parked on the footways around Bingham Island, while the race around the makeshift track went on, and it was near one of these where the man was hit and sustained serious injuries.

King and Walton both appeared before Nottingham Crown Court on Friday March 18, where the jury reached their verdict following a week-long trial, which had been adjourned previously due to Covid-19.

King was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, while Walton was found guilty of driving without due care and attention.

The pair have both been released on bail and will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on April 29.

Collision investigator Louise Melbourne, of Nottinghamshire Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “King showed no thought for the safety of others when he decided to get behind the wheel and take part in this illegal street race.

“By slowing down where he did, Walton caused an unnecessary risk to other road users and while his actions were not found to have caused or contributed towards the collision, the standard of his driving fell below that of a careful and competent driver.

“This was a completely preventable collision, which has tragically left an innocent bystander with serious injuries that he’ll have to live with for the rest of his life.

“Incidents such as this are precisely the reason why we spend so much effort as a force trying to crack down on motorists who drive dangerously and put others in danger.

“Throughout the unauthorised meeting, the road was still being used by members of the public going about their routine journeys, so it seems only by pure good luck that no one else was injured.

“Street racing is illegal for a reason, and we will never tolerate this kind of activity taking place on our roads.

“As this case has sadly shown, this type of racing is incredibly dangerous, and it only takes one mistake for motorists and others around them to be placed at serious risk of harm.”