Image copyright FAMILY HANDOUT

A driver who killed two young brothers in a hit-and-run crash while high on cocaine has been jailed for nine years.

Casper Platt-May, two, and his brother Corey, six, were struck while on their way to a Coventry park.

Robert Brown, 53, of Attwood Crescent, Wyken, who was doing more than 60mph, admitted causing the deaths by dangerous driving.

Brown had 30 previous convictions for driving without a licence or insurance, Warwick Crown Court heard.

The court was told that the boys’ lives had been “ripped away” in the incident on 22 February.

Image copyright West Midlands Police

• Midlands Live: GP jailed for assaulting patient; taxi driver fined for refusing to pick up disabled passenger

The boys’ mother, Louise Platt-May, was unable to speak in court. Her husband Reece read her statement in which she wrote: “I can’t work, my heart is broken, and time will never heal this. I will miss them forever. This monstrous act will haunt me.”

Image copyright family handout

Gwendoline Harrison, 42, of Triumph Close, Wyken, who was a passenger in the car, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. She had admitted a charge of assault intending to resist arrest and trying to leave the scene when she “knew two children lay dying”.

“No sentence can alleviate the pain of the family of these precious children,” the judge Andrew Lockhart QC said.

Brown and Harrison were both found to be four times over the limit for cocaine when the Ford Focus driven by Brown “ploughed” into the boys as they crossed Longfellow Road with their family.

Corey was thrown into the air by the impact of the collision and landed some distance away, the court heard.

Image copyright PA

West Midlands Police Collision Investigation Unit calculated that Brown was driving at more than 60mph.

The crash happened at about 14:00 GMT as the boys were out with their brothers Connor, nine, and Cooper, four.

In court, Connor said he “misses play nights and games” with his brothers. Casper, he said, was “really good at running and jumping in puddles”, while Corey was talented at “football, games, drawing and reading”.

The brothers relive the accident, Ms Platt-May said, and suffer nightmares and panic attacks.

Judge Lockhart said CCTV of the moment of the collision was “extremely distressing” and that he would have ordered against playing it in court.

Dashcam footage from a bus showed that members of the public intervened to prevent Brown and Harrison from leaving the “terrible scene”.

One man was attacked by Harrison who hit him over the head with a handbag containing cans of beer as he tried to restrain the pair.

They were discovered by police hiding behind a nearby garden shed and arrested.

A week before the crash Brown had been released from prison for possessing an offensive weapon.

He was disqualified from driving for 10 years after his release, while Harrison was disqualified for 27 months.

Ms Platt-May said Brown had “got off lightly”, and called on the government to “honour” the death of her sons with “tougher punishments for drivers who think they are above the law”.

“Because of [Brown], we are living a life sentence knowing we will never see our boys grow up, while he will be out of prison in just a few years and will be free to continue his life,” she said.

The judge said that the family’s dignity would “shine out like a beacon”.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-43926623

A bus has crashed into the side of a house injuring the driver.

The vehicle veered off the road after a collision with a cyclist in the Prestbury area of Cheltenham on Friday at 18:08 BST.

The cyclist and two passengers on the Marchants bus service suffered minor injuries.

The bus driver is in a serious but stable condition at Southmead Hospital. A police investigation into the crash is under way.

The owner of the house in Deep Street was out at the time.

A spokesman for the South Western Ambulance Service said they were called at 18:08 and sent multiple resources, including rapid response vehicles, the Hazardous Area Response Team, road ambulances and an air ambulance.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-43849448

Read more: http://www.ifunny.com//pictures/fluffiest-uber-driver-out-there/

When you make the decision to invite a pet into your home, it is a big commitment. It’s certainly not something you should take lightly.

Dogs, for instance, are no less deserving of a loving, caring home than humans are, however, it appears that this is an alien concept to some owners out there.

While it’s fair to say that most owners shower their pups with love and affection, others will eventually grow bored with their pooch and abandon them.

Last week (April 13) in San Antonio, Texas, a woman was captured on camera by a local resident abandoning four dogs in a parking lot. And the outraged local had no qualms about confronting the woman about the selfish act.

In the video, the local makes it known that she has evidence of her deliberately abandoning the pooches, and suggests that she take them to Animal Care Services which she insists is free.

Take a look at the damning footage below:

Simply forcing dogs in your care to fend themselves by abandoning without seeking alternative care is illegal and the penalty for committing this wrongdoing is $500.

The resident talked about the incident in an interview with ViralHog:

“I was getting ready for work when I spotted a car at a dead end road removing collars from within the car. I put my shoes on quickly and ran out to the road and started recording the act.

I’m tired of people doing this continuously in the area. I recorded to [educate] and advise them to do the right thing.

“The woman in the video responded back for directions to the Animal Care services, and yet decided to commit the illegal activity as directed by the driver who then backed out with the back seat passenger flipping me off.”

The resident can be heard in the video talking about the anger she feels toward irresponsible and callous dog owners who dump their dogs without any regard for their welfare.

“I’m tired of people dropping off abandoned dogs. I fostered for Animal Care Services and I’m the one that has to take time away from my children to help people who don’t want to be responsible for their pets.”

Let this story serve as a reminder to all pet owners out there that abandoning your pets is not only selfish and morally reprehensible but could potentially be illegal, depending on where you live.

The bottom line is that if you’ve made the decision to care for a pet and you no longer want that pet, make sure it gets the loving home it deserves.

Read more: http://www.viralthread.com/footage-shows-woman-abandoning-four-dogs-parking-lot-confronted/?all

close

Video

Police: Van jumps curb, strikes pedestrians in Toronto

Canada police say at least eight people were struck, cause and extent of injuries unknown.

Toronto cops nabbed the suspected driver who plowed into a group of people on a crowded city street Monday afternoon, leaving several injured and the grim sight of what appeared to be bodies covered by sheets.

Police confirmed to Fox News the arrest of the suspect, which came just minutes after news of the incident broke. “The van involved in multiple pedestrians stuck in the Yonge and Finch area of Toronto has been located and the driver arrested,” Toronto police tweeted.

Cops initially said eight to 10 people were hit near Yonge Street and Finch Avenue just before 1:30 p.m., but they later clarified it was too early to confirm the number of injuries.

After striking the pedestrians, the van fled the scene, CBC reported. 

The extent of the injuries at the scene is unknown, however, photos from the site of the collision showed pedestrians attempting to help people on the ground and multiple bodies covered by sheets. 

A witness who identified himself as Nick said he was studying when he saw a truck “flash by” in the area. He said he “witnessed a few people pass away in front” of him as others screamed.

“[The driver] was definitely in control of what he was doing…he knew what he was doing,” Nick told Global News.

Alex Shaker, who witnessed the incident, said the van was speeding down the street before it mounted the curb and plowed into people.

“He started going down on the sidewalk and crumbling down people one by one,” Shaker told CTV. “He just destroyed so many people’s lives. Every single thing that got in his way.”

A worker at a gym in a building next to the site of the incident told Fox News that employees were told to stay inside as first responders tended to the scene.

Photos from the scene in Toronto showed bodies in the ground.  (APTN)

Global News journalist Jeremy Cohn said there were “bodies all over” the street and some people had been pronounced dead.

“I’ve now walked up Yonge St from north of Sheppard to Finch. I have passed multiple dead bodies covered up, shoes and debris in the road. Witnesses tell me the white van appeared completely out of control,” Cohn tweeted.

“Ryder is aware of an incident involving a Ryder rental van striking pedestrians in Toronto on Monday April 23^rd in the early afternoon,” the rental company told Fox News. “We are saddened by this tragic event, and our deepest sympathies go out to those impacted. We take the safety and security of our entire fleet very seriously and we are cooperating fully with authorities.”

“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident at Yonge and Finch in Toronto,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “Thank you to the first responders working at the scene – we’re monitoring the situation closely.”

Subway trains in the area were suspended as police investigated the incident.

The incident occurred as Cabinet ministers from the G7 countries were gathered in Toronto to discuss a range of international issues in the run-up to the G7 meeting near Quebec City in June.

Fox News’ Greg Norman, Shira Bush and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/04/23/van-plows-into-crowd-in-toronto-injuring-several-driver-in-custody-cops-say.html