Former BAE Apprentice Banned After Crashing Into Barrow Shopfront
A former BAE Systems apprentice has been banned from driving after crashing his car into a Barrow shopfront and causing substantial damage.
Clayton Byrom, 25, crashed his Seat into Abbey Blinds on Rawlinson Street in the early hours of January 22, 2023.
South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court heard Byrom lost control of the vehicle after oversteering and hitting a curb. His car then spun out of control and struck the commercial premises.
Byrom, of Elmfield, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton le Spring, Sunderland, pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to dangerous driving when he appeared before magistrates on June 11.
He was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
He was also banned from driving and told he must pass an extended retest before he can drive again.
Car Hit Shopfront in 30mph Zone
The court heard Byrom told police he believed he had been travelling at up to 42mph at the time of the crash.
Rawlinson Street has a 30mph speed limit as it is a residential and built-up area.
Prosecutor Peter Kelly said there was “substantial damage” caused to the building.
He told the court structural engineers had to be called out and that the incident had caused financial difficulties for the owner.
The court also heard there were two tenants in the building, one of whom was residential. They had to be moved out to another location after the crash.
Police attended the scene and Byrom was arrested. He was also taken to hospital for treatment.
There was a passenger in Byrom’s vehicle at the time.
Court Told Case Had Taken Years to Reach Hearing
Mr Kelly told the court he could not give a “reasonable explanation” for why the case had taken three-and-a-half years to come before the court.
He also told magistrates that the incident was not a prolonged piece of bad driving.
The court heard Byrom had previous relevant convictions. These included failing to provide a specimen for analysis in 2021 and driving with excess alcohol in February 2024.
As a result of the dangerous driving offence and his previous record, the court imposed a driving ban.
Defence Said Byrom Had Faced Mental Health Struggles
Defence solicitor Sophie Shooter said the case was “borderline” and argued that magistrates could deal with the sentencing exercise.
She told the court Byrom had been 21 at the time of the crash and highlighted the long delay in the case coming before the court.
Ms Shooter said Byrom had been a BAE apprentice at the time and had security clearance. She said he is now on a new apprenticeship in welding, working on dump trucks.
The court was told Byrom had struggled after the crash and began self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.
Ms Shooter said this led to a spiral in his life and that he suffered a mental health crisis, including an attempt to take his own life.
She said a later drink-driving offence became a wake-up call for him.
The court heard Byrom no longer takes drugs and only drinks alcohol on special occasions. He has also been diagnosed with anxiety and ADHD.
Ms Shooter said he helps support his mother, who has multiple sclerosis, and does charity work.
Magistrates Found Prospect of Rehabilitation
Gillian Sutton, chair of the magistrates’ bench, described the offence as an “unpleasant incident”.
However, magistrates said they believed Byrom had a real prospect of rehabilitation.
He was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and must complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Byrom was also banned from driving for a further two years and must take an extended retest if he wants to drive again once the ban has ended.
He was ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £187 victim surcharge.
The case highlights the serious consequences of dangerous driving in built-up areas, especially where businesses, residents and pedestrians can be put at risk.
