Drunk Jaguar driver mows down woman on Blackpool tram tracks after spending afternoon in pub

Stephen Walkinshaw, 44, had spent the afternoon drinking before getting behind the wheel of his Jaguar F-Pace on September 29, 2023.

Shortly after 11.30pm, he drove along the tramway on Blackpool Promenade - a route restricted for trams and authorised vehicles only - at around 30mph.

He struck a woman in her 40s who was walking with her partner during a holiday visit, leaving her with “extensive life-changing lower limb injuries”.

In a victim personal statement, the woman said the collision had changed her and her family’s life and that she still suffers from both physical and mental pain.

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Walkinshaw did not stop at the scene and continued down the tramway despite his car suffering “significant damage” in the collision.

His car was later spotted by police and Walkinshaw was stopped and arrested after a brief pursuit.

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Walkinshaw, 44, of Danebridge Place, Congleton, Cheshire, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was jailed last week for three years and will be banned from driving for seven years after he is released from prison.

Sgt Dan Gunn, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “My thoughts today are first and foremost with the victim of this horrendous collision.

“She suffered some significant injuries which require ongoing treatment, and the collision has had a huge impact on her and her family.

“I hope that this result gives her some closure and enables her to focus on her ongoing recovery.

“Walkinshaw was both over the drink drive limit and driving in an area restricted for trams when he ran down the victim and to compound his offending he failed to stop at the scene.

“I welcome this sentence which is a result of the quality and strength of the prosecution case, and my thanks go to all those involved in the investigation.”