[A] YOUNG motorist who knocked over a fellow teenager as she crossed a Carlisle city centre road has received a suspended jail term.
Jarek Kowalczyk, 18, drove through a red light in his father’s black Citroen C3 immediately before hitting Savannah McNeil while she walked over Lowther Street on May 15.
Passers-by heard a “loud thud” as 19-year-old Miss McNeil was struck – and then watched as Kowalczyk drove around the prone pedestrian’s legs and away from the scene “at speed”. Miss McNeil suffered leg, ankle and arm injuries.
Despite making off, Kowalczyk went home and contacted police who discovered he did not have a licence to drive the Citroen.
He admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and having no insurance.
Kowalczyk, of Esther Street, Currock, Carlisle, was sentenced at the city’s crown court today (WED). An eight-month custodial term was suspended for 18 months, and the teen must complete 150 hours’ unpaid work and a year-long driving ban.
Recorder Kevin Grice said of the collision: “It could have been much, much worse.”
