Gloating young mum, 22, spared jail for drunkenly mowing down ex-boyfriend in ‘4am game of chicken’ mocks incident after being slammed on Facebook
Katie Lomas, 20, drunkenly ran over her victim at up 40mph during a 4am 'jousting' game after a night out
A YOUNG mother who gave the thumbs up after avoiding jail for running over her ex has taunted her critics, challenging them to "settle this with a game of chicken".
Katie Lomas, 20, drunkenly ran over the father of her child, Dean Heaney, at up 40mph during a 4am "jousting" game after a night out.
Victim Heaney, 24, was left fighting for his life with a punctured lung, fractures to the ribs and ligament damage, with the young man also suffering brain damage from the crash.
Lomas was spared jail with the judge deciding he did not want to "ruin" her four-year-old son's life by putting her behind bars.
But when the 20-year-old's lenient sentence was slammed on social media, the mother brazenly replied: "Not going to retaliate and argue back on here... Let's settle this with a game of chicken".
In the petition, which has garnered hundreds of signatures already, stated: "the comment has proved her mocking the courts justice system.
"Dean Heney (sic) has life changing injuries following the accident and (we) believe the sentence handed was not in anyway fair".
The court heard that Lomas and Heaney had split earlier in the month before the crash in the early hours of January 30 last year.
After the impact Lomas, who was eight points over the drink-drive limit, told onlookers: “What have I done?”
Dean himself has since slammed Katie's behaviour after court, saying she was "laughing at justice."
He told the : “I was fuming when I found out the sentence.”
Lomas, of Stalybridge, Manchester, gave a double thumbs-up after she walked free from Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving, drink driving and having no license or insurance.
Lomas, who was originally arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, was given a two-year jail term suspended for 18 months and was ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work.
She cannot apply for a driving licence for two years and must take an extended driving test.
Mitigating, defence counsel Steven Sullivan said that Lomas was "quite clearly immature" at the time of the incident.
He said: "When she got into the vehicle she had no idea what the consequences would be. The case is coming up to its first anniversary and she has a great deal of regret and remorse.
"“If she could only turn back the clock of course she would. She is a mother and takes this responsibly very seriously."
The judge Miss Recorder Samantha Presland told her: “I am going to give you full credit for your guilty plea, however, this is an extremely serious incident and both of you were very lucky.
“It happened in a moment of madness and temper however there is no evidence in your past that this is a pattern of behaviour – so I say this is reckless stupidity.
“However, a car is a lethal weapon. I take note of the fact that you have been suffering for the past months waiting for this to happen and I do not think you are someone who is going to go out and commit a criminal offence.
“Three lives should not be ruined as a result of a reckless incident.”
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