‘Cowardly’ driver sentenced for fatally injuring horse then torching van in cover-up attempt

A “cowardly” driver who caused the death of a horse, and injury to a rider, then set fire to his own van and claimed it had been stolen has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Alex Cole, 24, was due to stand trial at Gloucester Crown Court on 12 July but on the first day pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, careless driving and failing to stop at a collision.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said that on 7 March last year, a Vauxhall Astra van driven by Cole collided with Chunk, who was being ridden by a 19-year-old girl, in Clifford’s Mesne, near Newent.

“Gloucester Crown Court was told that the rider was thrown off the horse into a hedge and then landed in the road,” the spokesman said. “Her injured horse, Chunk, described as well-behaved and good with traffic, initially bolted.

“The horse soon returned and was then transported to stables where a vet attended, however he had sustained a fractured pelvis and was euthanised.”

The spokesman said that after the collision, Cole drove to nearby Judge’s Lane and used fuel in his vehicle to set fire to it. He called police at 6.19pm that day to say the van had been stolen by a man who was interested in buying it for scrap.

Cole, of Bartwood Lane, Pontshill in Ross-on-Wye, was arrested three days later and during interview continued his lie that the vehicle had been stolen, the police spokesman said, adding that days later, he admitted he was the driver.

He said the collision happened as he was unable to see properly owing to the sun’s glare, but “Judge Ian Lawrie KC did not accept that Cole was temporarily blinded,” police said.

“In the incident the rider sustained a bruised knee, hip and elbow. She also had a spinal fracture, which she is still recovering from, discovered in an MRI scan at a later date,” the spokesman said.

In a hearing yesterday (16 August) the court heard the rider is having therapy, suffers from panic attacks and has given up riding as she could not hack out again.

The victim’s mother told the court: “It’s completely changed her life in that she had a potential riding career which has now ended. She’s lost her best friend and she’s lost her passion, so her life has changed for ever.”

A statement from the victim, read in court, said: “Emotionally I have been all over the place. Since the loss of Chunk I have days where I am in tears. I’ve had days where I’m happy to see pictures of him and then I just break down. Some days I’m so angry, I don’t know why or what to do.

“I’m angry at the driver of the Vauxhall and I can also be short when anything doesn’t go my way. This isn’t normal for me as I normally have a happy positive outlook on life.

“I know these are likely to be the stages of grief and will likely get easier in time, but I can’t help feeling this may never come back fully as Chunk was a huge part of my life and was my source of happiness.”

Cole’s defence barrister said Cole, who is of previous good character, had shown remorse and came to his senses after he realised the “stupidity of his actions”, which were described as “an act of sheer panic and blind stupidity”, police said.

Judge Lawrie told Cole it would have been “blindingly obvious that he had hit a horse”, police said, adding that he was “cowardly and showed heartless disregard for the victim and her horse”.

For perverting the course of justice, Cole was sentenced to 13 months, suspended for 18 months, ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work and to pay £1,500 in costs and a £156 surcharge, to be paid within 28 days.

Cole was given six points on his licence and a £2,500 fine for careless driving, and no separate penalty for failing to stop at the scene.

After sentencing, PC Rob Bolland from the specialist operations unit, said: “Cole’s careless driving led to a much-loved horse being euthanised. The impact of what happened that day and the loss of the horse has been huge for the victim and her family.

“There’s no excuse for leaving the scene of an incident, especially one as serious as this, and it’s a serious offence to then take steps to try and cover your tracks.

“No sentence will bring Chunk back for the family and my thoughts are with them while the victim continues with her physical and psychological recovery.”

You might also be interested in:

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.