Cocaine-fuelled Leeds dad jailed for causing horrific crash near Chelker Reservoir

A judge criticised the maximum sentence for dangerous driving as he was forced to imprison Grant Parr, of Yeadon, for just 16 months.

Judge Jonathan Rose described 25-year-old father Parr's high-speed, aggressive driving that morning in April 2018 as "as bad as one could ever see on a British road" and said the maximum jail term of two years for dangerous driving was "woefully inadequate".

Mum knocked down and killed by drink and cocaine-fuelled driver in Ossett

Builder's labourer Parr, of St Andrew's Close, Yeadon, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on Monday and his plea at the first opportunity meant the judge also had to give him a one-third reduction on the two-year prison term.

"So I have to reduce the sentence to 16 months imprisonment because if I do not your case will go to another court where they will reduce it," said the judge.

Parr also admitted being four times the drug-drive limit for cocaine, but Judge Rose said because it was all part of one incident his four-month jail term for that offence had to be concurrent instead of consecutive.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Parr, whose partner was pregnant with their third child at the time of the crash, was seen overtaking vehicles at up to 90mph in his Seat Leon on the 60mph stretch of road near to scenic beauty spot Chelker Reservoir.

Prosecutor Philip Adams told the court that as Parr was overtaking a line of three vehicles on a sweeping left-hand bend heading towards Addingham shortly before 9am when he crashed into an on-coming Renault Clio containing a father and daughter.

The quick-thinking Clio driver swerved to his nearside to avoid a head-on collision and the Clio ended up going through a drystone wall into a nearby field.

The out-of-control Seat Leon then struck a Lexus and the court heard that a Volvo, also containing a father and daughter, was flipped over and ended up on its roof.

"By some miracle there were no serious injuries as far as any of the occupants of the three other vehicles were concerned," said Mr Adams.

He said Parr was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary, but his injuries were not serious and a later blood test found that he was four times the legal limit for cocaine.

Barrister Alasdair Campbell, for Parr, said his client realised he was lucky to be alive and everybody else involved was lucky they were not killed or more seriously injured.

The court heard that Parr had been out of trouble for five years and he and his partner now cared for five children.

Judge Rose, who was shown graphic police photos of the crash scene, heard that Parr had not driven since the crash and he imposed a driving ban which will last for four years and eight months.

Parr must also take an extended driving test at the end of the ban.

On the day of the crash, a PCSO called to the scene Tweeted photos showing the shocking damage to the cars involved.