Teenage driver locked up after bystander seriously injured at Junction 27 car meet

Police have issued a warning about the risks posed by car meets after a bystander was seriously injured by a dangerous driver.

Nineteen-year-old Harrison Cudworth was attempting a manoeuvre in his high-powered BMW car when he lost control of the vehicle.

The car left the carriageway on the A608, close to Junction 27 with the M1, and struck three people who were stood at the roadside watching the car meet.

One victim suffered a broken pelvis when she was thrown backwards into a bush.

The woman, who had attended the car meet after seeing it advertised on social media, required hospital treatment and corrective surgery.

Two other people suffered minor injuries after the incident on 14 January 2023 around 9.30pm.

Cudworth, of Ash Grove, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was sentenced to two years and two months in a young offender institution when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (25 June).

He had earlier pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Detective Inspector Kate Savage, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“The standard of driving displayed by Cudworth was appalling.

“It appears he was showing off by copying other drivers and lost control close to a group of people who had gathered to watch the car meet.

“One of the spectators suffered nasty injuries and was fortunate not to be even more seriously hurt.

“This incident shows car meets of this type can be extremely dangerous places for both drivers and spectators.

“We would always warn anyone against attending these types of gatherings.

“As a wider issue in our communities, we take car cruising and associated antisocial behaviour very seriously as a force.

"We know these meets can have a negative impact on people living nearby and other road users.

“We frequently take part in proactive enforcement and engagement work to prevent and reduce such problems in hotspot areas of Nottinghamshire. 

“The message is clear. We will not tolerate people who break the law, cause misery for others, and drive vehicles in a manner that puts other road users, and themselves, at risk of serious injury or death."

A Public Space Protection Order remains in place in the Junction 27 area to clamp down on antisocial behaviour – allowing officers to take enforcement action against vehicles engaged in certain actions, including making excessive noise, being driven in convoy and  accelerating aggressively.