A ‘brilliant’ dad was tragically killed when he was attacked by a speeding, drink-drinking driver after a Christmas Eve meal with friends.
Charalambos Nicolaou and his daughter Polyxeni, then 17, were visiting the UK from Cyprus for Christmas. They had stayed with friends Angelos Nicola and his wife Julia Nicola-Sakka and visited an Italian restaurant on December 24, Stoke-on-Trent Live reported.
As the group left La Villa Verde and walked to their car at a nearby rest stop, a speeding car crashed into their Hyundai. Tragically, Mr Nicolaou, 62, died at the scene.
READ THE NEXT ARTICLE: Twin sisters appear before judge after plane turned back at Manchester Airport following brawl
Her daughter escaped serious injury but Angelos and Julia were seriously injured and spent weeks in Royal Stoke University Hospital. The driver of the car, Mark Plimmer, had been drinking beer and a Jagerbomb before he lost control and crashed the car.
A court heard he was driving at an ‘appallingly high speed’, with a witness claiming he reached speeds of up to 100mph when overtaking another vehicle in his Vauxhall Vectra. Plimmer, 28, also had no insurance on his vehicle and no driving licence. He did not stop at the scene and the Vauxhall did not have a valid MOT.
Plimmer seen overtaking at 100mph
Prosecutor Caroline Harris said Nicolaou and Polyxeni had come to the UK from Cyprus for Christmas and were staying with Angelos and Julia, who live in Uttoxeter.
They left La Villa Verde at 8.45pm and walked a short distance to a rest stop where Angelos had parked, but the reckless Plimmer was speeding and crashed into the Hyundai.
He had been drinking at The White Hart in Tean and had pints and Jagerbombs – Jagermeister and Red Bull chasers. He then went to The Raddle Inn and had more alcohol before returning home. But he left and headed towards Draycott.
An eyewitness described him overtaking her at around 100mph and CCTV captured him travelling at an ‘appallingly’ high speed. Investigators found he was travelling at 81mph in a 40mph zone in the 110 metres before the collision.
The impact threw Angelos and Julia some distance from their car. The court heard they were receiving medical attention and continue to suffer physical and emotional injuries.
Plimmer was trapped in the Vauxhall and was rescued by restaurant staff. He remained at the scene and said there was no one else in the vehicle.
He was noticed slurring his words. He went to a nearby property and asked family and friends to pick him up. He ran away and was found hiding in a bush by police.
He was ‘belligerent’ towards police and paramedics. His breathalyser was tested and he had 56 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35.
He refused to take further tests for alcohol and drugs. He claimed he was not the driver – but would not say who the driver was. But the evidence at the trial was clear – he was the only person in the car.
‘How can a person be so reckless?’
The court heard moving testimonies from victims and other family members. Polyxeni is now an orphan because her mother died of cancer when she was six. Julia spent five weeks in hospital and suffers from dizziness.
He has also been left with a permanent scar on his forehead. He has now lost his self-confidence and is feeling angry and emotional. He added: “Christmas will never be the same. How could someone be so selfishly reckless? It took the life of a wonderful father and friend and nothing can fix that.
“We are in close contact with Polyxeni. We will do whatever is necessary to facilitate her happy future.”
Angelos had to be resuscitated at the scene. He suffered severe injuries and spent a month in hospital. He said: “Me and my wife are changed forever. This will stay with us forever.”
Plimmer, of Woodlands Lane, Blythe Bridge, denied charges of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving but was convicted of all three charges following a trial in July. He pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and failing to provide a breath or blood sample for analysis.
Neil Baki, mitigating, said Plimmer knew he would receive an excessively long sentence. He is a ‘safer custody representative’ and is responsible for preventing fights and violence on the prison wings.
“He wants to express his deep regret through me for his selfish and reckless actions such as drinking and driving,” Baki said.
Plimmer will serve two-thirds of his 18-year sentence before being released on licence. He is banned from driving for 22 years and must take an extended test before he can drive again.
Judge Sally Hancox said: “You were driving at an appallingly high speed. One witness thought you may have been travelling at 100mph when you passed him. You remained at the scene for a short time but it was said you struggled to adapt. You were seen to be slurring your words.
“The evidence at the trial was clear – there was no one else in the car that evening. The life lost as a result of your selfish actions was a life loved and a loss to many.
“You chose to knowingly ignore the rules of the road and completely disregarded the risk of danger to other road users. Your driving was severely impaired, at the very least by alcohol.”
Read more of today’s top news here