Driving without due care and attention

A driver was sentenced at Sheffield Magistrates Court today after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention, leaving the scene and failing to report a collision, leaving a 14 year old boy injured at the scene.

Mrs Fozia Matloob's car hit Daniel Rogers but she immediately fled the scene and failed to report the collision to the police. She was sentenced to 8 weeks in custody and disqualified from driving for 12 months, which the family hope will send out a message to other drivers. Shortly after the "hit and run" incident occurred, Mrs Matloob was disqualified from driving for an unrelated offence of drink driving which she had committed earlier in April 2008.

Mrs Matloob's car hit Daniel on Greenhill Avenue in Sheffield on 14 October as he was crossing the road with a group of friends. He suffered a fractured leg and was knocked briefly unconscious. He was flung onto the bonnet of the car, smashing the windscreen, before being thrown over the roof of the car, landing in the road. His parents are being vigilant in keeping an eye on any potential post head injury problems. He has now returned to school, but has had to have further time off recently with pain in his leg and fatigue.

Daniel's father Mr Paul Rogers said: "We are delighted the police action is now closed and we can move on with our lives. We are very upset at Mrs Matloob's actions in leaving the scene – she didn't know whether our son was dead or alive when she drove off. We are also upset that she didn't seem to show any remorse for what she had done. We are thankful that Daniel is ok, although he did suffer serious injuries. Hopefully by highlighting our son's case we can help prevent other families having to go through the same thing we did. We would encourage more drivers to stop and think about what they have done."

Kate Petchey, a solicitor with Irwin Mitchell representing the Rogers family, said: "This is a very sad case of a driver fleeing an accident and leaving a young victim injured at the scene. The sentence today sends out a clear message to other drivers that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. Thankfully, Daniel has been able to start getting on with his life but others may not be so lucky. I would hope that this case serves to reinforce that drivers should act responsibly if they are ever unfortunate enough to be involved in a collision."