A Kenyan national is facing deportation from the UK after causing life-changing injuries to a couple in a road incident.
Augustine Kiprono was sentenced to three years in jail for his part in causing the crash on the A53 between Leek and Endon.
Under UK immigration law, foreign nationals sentenced to 12 months or more in prison are automatically considered for deportation. Having been sentenced to three years in prison, Kiprono now faces deportation to Kenya upon his release.
The court heard that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident and attempting a risky overtaking manoeuvre in his car. There were four other passengers in the vehicle at the time.
Further reports indicate that the 28-year-old was nearly one-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit when he pulled out to overtake a lorry on a bend and ended up veering straight into an oncoming motorcycle, which was being ridden by an elderly couple.
While the couple survived the ordeal, the husband spent more than two weeks in the hospital with a broken left leg and arm. His wife also spent a fortnight at a medical facility as she was treated for an open fracture of the thigh, which left her with one leg shorter than the other after surgery.
According to the prosecutor, the crash occurred on June 4 at around 6:35 pm as the couple was returning home from Wales. The collision left the two victims crashing to the ground, leaving them gravely injured.
Later, Kiprono was found collapsed in a nearby field, where he admitted his involvement in the crash before he was also rushed to hospital and placed in a coma. He was discharged five days later.
The Kenyan's plight was made worse after it was discovered that he had no insurance and never had a UK driving license, besides the fact that he was driving while intoxicated.
In court, he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and his lawyer told the court that he was remorseful and admitted full responsibility.
It has since been established that Kiprono arrived in the UK in 2020 and had been granted leave to remain, but struggled with personal issues including an alcohol addiction.
In addition to the three-year sentence, the judge also issued a lengthy driving ban of six and a half years and ordered Kiprono to pass an extended retest before ever returning on the road.
Meanwhile, the injured couple recently did an interview where they expressed their wish to "look the driver in the eye" after the life-changing incident.
