Boozed-up driver narrowly missed child while speeding through Worksop town centre
A drunk driver who narrowly missed a child while speeding through Worksop town centre later bit a nurse when he was treated at hospital, a court heard.
Brett Haslam "looked as though he was falling asleep or looking for something" when he crashed into a Corsa parked on Newcastle Avenue, shunting it ten metres forward and writing it off, said Quiana Fitzpatrick, prosecuting.
He appeared to start crying before driving off erratically. His car was smoking, the grille was hanging off, and there were two parking tickets on the windscreen.
He looped and swerved around a car park and was abusive towards the Corsa's owner before driving through the town centre at speed, narrowly missing a child and hitting a road sign.
He parked outside a barber’s shop on Bridge Street, knocked on the door, and went inside.
Police later found him there asleep, at around 5.15pm on May 17, and he refused a breathalsyer test.
Haslam passed out when he was taken to A&E and thrashed around so violently when he was resuscitated leg restraints had to be applied.
His cannula fell out and when the nurse tried to reinstate it Haslam bit her left middle finger, leaving a bruise and the need for a blood test.
A crack pipe, two grams of cocaine in a Kinder egg, a knife and cannabis were found in the footwell of his car, along with several empty tins of lager.
Nottingham Crown Court heard he has nine previous convictions for 24 offences including drink driving, cultivating and dealing cannabis dating back to 2011.
And he was jailed for 15 years in 2013 for firearms offences.
Lucy Miller, mitigating, said Haslam's mental health "spiralled" after his long-term relationship ended.
She said he is remorseful and has used his time in prison constructively by enrolling in Alcoholics Anonymous and Bible studies.
He sustained nerve damage after he was attacked during a previous sentence and has been recalled to prison until July 2028.
Haslam, aged 38, of Church Street, Rotherham, admitted failing to provide a specimen, possessing cannabis and cocaine, dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident, assaulting an emergency worker, and possessing a blade, on May 9.
On Thursday, October 22, Recorder Ruth Coffey sentenced him to one year and eight weeks in prison and imposed a 43-month driving ban.