A DRIVER who had cocaine in his system has been jailed for eight and a half years after causing the death of “loving” granddad-of-six Albert Brown.

Retired bookmaker Albert died aged 82 after being involved in a two-car crash on Gorsey Lane, Clock Face shortly before Christmas 2016.

Carl Moffatt, of Threadneedle Court, Sutton has today (Wednesday) been jailed at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing Albert's death by dangerous driving and other offences.

Moffatt, 36, who had been due to face trial this week, changed his plea to guilty to four charges including: one count of causing death by dangerous driving; two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving; and one count of causing death while uninsured.

Moffatt had repeatedly lied, claiming the other car had been on the wrong side and the victim’s son was to blame for the head-on crash.

Albert died instantly at the scene after being crushed. His devastated son, Tim, who feared leaking petrol might ignite, was trapped by the steering wheel with his deceased dad next to him slumped on the dashboard.

Tim, 54, had been driving them and friend Paul Sutcliffe, who was in the seat behind the pensioner, home from a day at Bangor races.

He and 50-year-old Mr Sutcliffe both face further surgery following the crash on December 22, 2016.

Moffatt is a convicted drug dealer and a judge ruled that he had known his driving had been impaired by the tranquilliser Diazapam and by-products of cocaine in his system. 

The court heard that while the level of Diazapam was just below the legal limit for driving Moffatt, a professional driver, had been warned four times by doctors not to take the tablets and drive. The level of cocaine by-products in his blood was four times the legal driving limit.

Two and a half miles before the fatal collision, a woman motorist, Victoria Scott, encountered Moffatt driving towards her on the wrong side of the single lane carriageway and a crash was only averted after she flashed her lights and braked.

Moffat continued on his way and as Tim Brown, a race course bookmaker, reached the apex of a bend travelling below the 50 mph speed limit he saw the Ford Focus heading towards him on his side of the road, said Miss Gould.

He tried to steer away but his brakes locked and the vehicles collided. Tim was trapped by the steering wheel leaving him struggling to breathe and he had to be cut free by firemen.

His dad died instantly after his aortic artery was severed and he suffered multiple chest injuries.

St Helens Star:

Albert Brown died in the crash 

Moffatt came over to the victim’s wrecked car and said to rear seat passenger Mr Sutcliffe: "I'm sorry, I’m sorry, my steering just went.”

He went to the driver’s side and said: “I’m sorry mate, I think I must have blacked out or something.”

When later interviewed by police he blamed Tim Brown for driving on the wrong side of the road.

He did not recollect the near miss eight minutes before the fatal crash and denied his driving had been impaired. He expressed surprise at the level of cocaine by-products in his system.

Miss Gould said that Tim suffered a fractured pelvis, a broken sternum and eight fractured ribs as well as internal bleeding.

Mr Sutcliffe fractured multiple ribs, suffered a collapsed lung and a broken right leg.

In his impact statement Tim said that his dad had been “fit for his age, intelligent, kind and good man”.

He added: “I know as we all get older we know we lost our parents but to lose my father in that unnecessarily violent manner is hard to take.”

Widow, Sheelah Brown added: “The feelings of loneliness and upset is indescribable.” 

She described Albert as “a loving caring man who couldn’t do enough for me, nothing was too much trouble. Now all that has gone and I’m left with this terrible void in my life.”

Her daughter, Alison Johnson, described her dad as “the joker of the family, always happy" and that he "never had a bad word to say about anyone".

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones, who banned Moffatt from driving for seven years three months, said the statements from the widow and daughter speak of the “inevitable grief, sudden loss of a dearly loved and loving husband and father and understandable inability to come to terms with such a devastating impact, a gap in their lives which has resulted and which continues".

He added: “The ongoing immeasurable sense of loss continues to blight the family.”

Reacting to the sentencing, Sergeant Phil Mitchell said: “This is a really sad case, where a loving grandad has tragically lost his life.

“Although I welcome the sentence of Moffatt, I know that this will never bring Albert back. I do however hope this gives his family some closure and allows them to move on from this terrible ordeal.”