Daughter’s agony for dad killed by drink driver who shared six bottles of wine before Mercedes crash
Allan Hale was driving home when his silver Mercedes Benz hit Gavin Bolam, with the driver leaving the victim to bleed to death on the kerb
THE devastated daughter of a man ploughed killed by a Mercedes driver who shared SIX bottles of wine before the death crash said her world had been "ripped apart", as his killer was jailed for six years.
Allan Hale, 39, had been caught on CCTV ordering booze at a pub in Wardley before getting into his silver Mercedes Benz to drive to his Gateshead home - colliding with 56-year-old Gavin Bolam just after midnight.
Hale did not stop, instead leaving his victim in a pool of blood in the early hours of April 9.
Mr Bolam was treated by paramedics but was pronounced dead at hospital.
Hale was arrested a short time later after he was seen driving erratically across the road on metal rims. Investigating police later found his car had hit the victim so hard that it had broken the car's suspension.
He was arrested by Northumbria Police a short time later.
Hale, of Appleby Gardens, Gateshead, admitted to causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving, failing to stop and failing to provide a specimen, and was jailed for six years at Newcastle Crown Court.
He was also handed a five-year driving ban which will start when he is released.
Chief Inspector Dave Guthrie, of the Operations Department, said: "This is one of the worst cases of dangerous driving that I have seen at my time in the force and I am glad Hale is now behind bars.
"Numerous witnesses and CCTV footage shows the offender sharing half a dozen bottles of wine at a pub in Hebburn and to even contemplate getting behind the wheel is despicable in itself.
"To then mow down an innocent member of the public and leave them to die in the street is both cowardly and inhumane."
The top cop paid tribute to the victim and his family, saying: "Gavin's family will never be able to get over this loss and we hope they have been able to get some comfort from the fact that the person who killed a loving father-of-two is now behind bars.
"They have shown incredible bravery throughout the investigation and should be commended. Hopefully this case acts as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of driving whilst under the influence."
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Gavin's daughter Kelly said she never wanted another family to face the "despair" that she and her family had experienced.
She said her world had been "ripped apart".
She said: "Today, the man responsible for my dad's death was sentenced to serve a prison term. No amount of time given would ever make up for the fact that my dad is no longer with us.
"But that is not what today was about. This sentencing is about holding an individual responsible for his actions which have resulted in him taking another man's life."
She said that she hoped her father's story reached as many people as possible to make them think twice before drinking and driving.
She said: "We are all aware of how alcohol impairs our judgement. If you choose to drive under the influence you are knowingly putting the lives of yourself and others at risk.
"Please don't put yourself in that situation. Do not be the person responsible for a father never going home to his two daughters again."
She thanked police for their involvement in the case.
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