POLICE

A supercar driver, who collided on the Tinsley roundabout in May 2018, was yesterday found guilty of dangerous driving following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

On Sunday 20 May 2018 at 7:55pm, police were called to a road traffic collision on the Tinsley roundabout involving a grey Ferrari 458 and a red Porsche 718GTS.

The driver of the Porsche, 27-year-old Henry James Hibbs from Middlefield New Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, suffered minor injuries.

The driver of the Ferrari, 32-year-old Carl Hartley from Swadlincote, Derbyshire, had fled from the scene prior to the officer’s arrival.

Hartley, who later identified himself as being involved in the collision, said that his brakes on the vehicle had failed and caused him to collide with the Porsche.

The airbag unit from the Ferrari was shipped overseas where a professional was able to confirm at what speed the airbags in the vehicle were deployed – 68mph. The road that the cars collided on has a 50mph speed limit.

A collisions investigator carried out extensive tests on the car to check for damage to the braking system- no damage was found.

During the investigation police appealed to the public for information and witnesses who had seen the cars earlier in the evening.

Numerous witnesses came forward, all highlighting the ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’ and ‘racing style’ behaviour that the drivers had been showcasing across South Yorkshire. Both vehicles were captured on numerous CCTV footage at various locations exceeding the speed limits of the road they were on.

Hartley, the driver of the Ferrari, pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to dangerous driving.

Hibbs, the driver of the Porsche, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving and a weeklong trial started.

The trial ended on Tuesday 12 November 2019 and the jury found Hibbs guilty of Dangerous driving.

Both men will appear before Sheffield Crown Court at a date to be fixed for sentencing.

A/PS McEnery who led the investigation said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who came forward and assisted us with this investigation.

“Your help and commitment to making South Yorkshire a safer place does not go unnoticed.”

A/PS McEnery also stated that our roads should not be used as racetracks and have speed limits for safety reasons.

He added: “Vehicles racing and travelling at speed are a dangerous combination, both drivers were extremely lucky that neither were seriously injured or caused injury to an innocent road user.”