Police release shocking pictures of Milton Keynes crash as drink and drug driver, 50, is jailed after leaving man fighting for his life

Police have released shocking pictures of a Milton Keynes crash as a 50-year-old drink and drug driver is jailed after leaving a man fighting for his life.

Paul Pickett, aged 50, of Ripley Road, Broughton, has been jailed for more than three years and banned from driving for 11 years after causing a serious injury collision on a city estate.

He pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in a hearing at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court.

He also pleaded to one count each of dangerous driving, driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above the limit and failing to stop after a road accident and two counts of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

Appearing at Aylesbury Crown Court (today) Thursday, Pickett was sentenced to a total of three years and four months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 11 and a half years.

On 20 May 2023, Pickett was driving a black Mercedes EQE at Ladbroke Grove, Monkston Park, Milton Keynes.

He was witnessed to be driving erratically, colliding with parked vehicles and border hedgerows.

Suspecting he was drunk, members of the public tried to stop Pickett but he ignored requests to stop and drove away from Ladbroke Grove turning right onto the H8 Standing way.

Pickett had ignored a keep left sign and was travelling the wrong way up the H8 Standing way dual carriageway toward Woughton-on-the-Green.

While still driving the wrong way in lane two, Pickett’s vehicle collided head on into a grey Volvo S40 approaching in the correct direction.

Both vehicles suffered catastrophic damage trapping both drivers in their vehicles, and the Volvo immediately caught fire.

Officers attending attempted to put out the fire on the Volvo before being joined by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The driver of the Volvo S40, a 37-year-old man, was trapped, unconscious and in a life threatening condition.

He received life-saving treatment from emergency doctors attending from Milton Keynes Hospital to the scene of the collision. He was rescued from the vehicle but remains needing permanent medical care having sustained multiple injuries, the most serious being life changing brain injuries.

The family of the man who sustained serious injuries have consented for these images to be released to raise awareness of the dangers of drink and drug driving.

Pickett suffered serious injuries and was taken to Milton Keynes hospital where a sample of blood was taken from his for forensic testing.

The results of these tests showed that at the time of the collision, Pickett was driving with his blood alcohol 2.5 times over the legal limit. He also had unlawful amounts of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in his system.

Pickett made a recovery and he was charged with the offences on 8 November 2023.

Investigating officer PC Chris Ruvolo-Jones of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “The victim in this case received terrible, life-threatening and life-changing injuries and endured a lengthy spell in hospital as a result of Pickett’s decision to drive after consuming alcohol and cocaine.

“The victim will unlikely make a full recovery having lost the ability to move freely, communicate or eat and drink without assistance.

“The cause of the collision lies wholly with Mr Pickett. This level of intoxication is likely to have resulted in a gross loss of co-ordination and ability to control the vehicle on the road, as well as his ability to correctly assess relevant road signage and make rational decisions.

“Drivers who have taken cocaine will in the hours post-consumption, experience drowsiness and fatigue.

“Those who elect to drink and take drugs recreationally, then making conscious decisions to drive while under the effects pose a high risk to other road users.

“Pickett will now serve a prison sentence as a result of those decisions.

“Driving while intoxicated through drink or drugs is one of the Fatal Four, and Thames Valley Police will continue to focus efforts in investigating those involved in these types of collisions.”