TWO men who caused a collision which left two teenagers seriously injured in Hastings have been sentenced.
Liam Hide, 22, and Dillon Beeching, 23, caused the collision in Frederick Road.
Beeching deliberately drove his vehicle across the path of two teenage boys riding a stolen motorcycle.
The boys, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, sustained serious injuries in the collision.
Both Beeching and Hide then proceeded to assault the boys as they lay injured on the ground, before members of the public intervened and police arrived.
At Chichester Crown Court on January 19, Hide and Beeching were jailed for causing grievous bodily harm with intent and actual bodily harm with intent.
They had attempted to take the law into their own hands rather than allow the police to investigate.
The court was told how Hide had reported his motorcycle stolen to police at about 9.30am on July 20, last year.
He told police that if his vehicle was not found by midday that day he would cause serious harm to those who had taken it.
In the afternoon he met with Beeching who was driving a blue BMW. Together they located the stolen motorbike in Frederick Road at 2.35pm.
Beeching drove across the road into the path of the motorcycle, causing a head-on collision.
The boys riding on the motorcycle sustained serious injuries.
Hide and Beeching were then seen to continue their assault on the boys.
One rider had his helmet removed and was then dragged across the road and further assaulted.
The parents of both the boys described the ongoing impact the incident has had upon their children.
The mother of one boy said: “You took the law into your own hands, and what you did was unforgivable. Now both you and our families have to suffer because of your reckless and evil behaviour.”
Hide, 22, formerly a retail worker of Ashford Road, Hastings, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and actual bodily harm with intent after a trial. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Beeching, 23, unemployed of Grand Parade, Eastbourne, admitted the same charges and was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. He was disqualified from driving for four years and two months.
Hastings District Commander Chief Inspector Jayantha Mendis-Gunasekera said: “This incident left two boys seriously injured, one with life-changing injuries.
“When Hide reported the matter to the police, the investigation should have been allowed to take its course.
“But he was already intent on causing harm, and together with Beeching they carried out an appalling assault on these boys.
“Road traffic collisions have a devastating impact on those involved, and the defendants were lucky not to have caused a fatality to either of the boys, to other innocent road users, or to themselves.
“This case demonstrates our determination to catch violent offenders.”
