Christmas Eve killer driver jailed for 18 years

A speeding driver who lost control of his car on Christmas Eve, killing a father in front of his daughter and seriously injuring two other people, has been jailed for 18 years.

Mark Plimmer, 28, of Blythe Bridge was found guilty of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The crash happened on 24 December, 2023 on Uttoxeter Road, Draycott in the Moors, with Plimmer's car hitting two other vehicles, just as the driver and passengers were about to get into one.

Charalambos Nicolaou, 62, who was visiting with his daughter from Cyprus for Christmas, died at the scene. His two friends are still recovering from their injuries.

Plimmer was found hiding nearby following the crash, after initially being trapped in his Vauxhall Vectra, which caught fire, with locals smashing the glass to help him out.

He had denied being the driver, but was the only person in the car and was identified by a number of witnesses, said police.

CCTV showed he had been drinking alcohol in a number of pubs prior to the crash, but refused to provide breath or blood samples for analysis, said Staffordshire Police.

Collision investigators worked out he had been driving at 81mph in a 40mph zone on the approach to where the crash happened near La Villa Verde restaurant.

"For Plimmer to run from the scene while other members of the public rushed to help shows his blatant disregard for anyone else," said PC Jon Stant.

"His failure to accept responsibility for his actions has led to additional and unnecessary trauma for those involved."

The investigating officer added his two friends were still recovering from the "horrific collision".

"The fact that the collision occurred in front of his daughter on Christmas Eve is even more devastating," he said.

In addition to his prison sentence, Plimmer was also banned from driving for 12 years at Monday's hearing.

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