Drink driver who caused two crashes and left cyclist in intensive care jailed for 50 months

A drink driver who got behind the wheel of his car after being turned away from a pub for being too intoxicated, causing two crashes — one of which left a cyclist in intensive care for three weeks — has been jailed for more than four years.

Andrew Peter Burns' Christmas night out offences saw him sentenced to 50 months in prison at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday, Wales Online reports, after the drink driver had pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, dangerous driving, driving without due care and attention, failing to stop, and failing to report an accident.

Burns had been on a work night out on 6 December 2021, part of his colleagues' pre-Christmas celebrations, and visited multiple pubs and a Miller & Carter restaurant where he ate a meal and drank "five or six" alcoholic drinks.

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The court was shown CCTV footage of Burns leaving a pub drunk and then being refused entry when he tried to go back to the Borough Arms as he was too intoxicated.

Burns then got into his Audi A3 and caused two crashes to the east of the city centre, the first on City Road and a second on Metal Street nearby just before 9pm. In the first, he crashed into the back of another vehicle, while in the second he hit a delivery cyclist working in the city.

The drink driver failed to stop at the scene of both incidents, with the cyclist taken to hospital with serious head and leg injuries which required three weeks of treatment in intensive care.

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Having been arrested the following day, Burns pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges and was in court on Monday for sentencing, during which his barrister said the 47-year-old had panicked and fled the scene of the crashes.

"The defendant is very sorry for what has happened and wishes that he could turn back the clock," he said.

Burns was sentenced to 50 months in prison by judge Jeremy Jenkins and was told he would serve half in custody and the remainder on licence. The drink driver was also banned from driving for four years and one month. He will have to pass an extended retest to resume driving at the end of the ban.