Girl, 9, suffers multiple fractures after drug driver crashes into her family’s car

An intoxicated driver under the influence of cocaine left a nine-year-old girl in a wheelchair after driving through a junction after drinking mulled wine at a Christmas market. The girl was initially knocked unconscious before screaming in pain after breaking a number of bones. Ross Nowland, 35, hit a car containing three children and two adults in Cardiff at such force it caused the vehicle to spin 360 degrees.

As a result of the collision, a girl sustained multiple fractures and spent days in hospital. A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard Nowland had attended the Christmas market in Cardiff on November 27 last year and claimed to have drunk two glasses of mulled wine. He drove a Volvo XC60 with a friend in the passenger along College Road before driving at speed through a ‘Give Way’ junction into King Edward VII Avenue.

Read more: Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter Witnesses estimated the defendant was driving between 50mph and 60mph when he collided with the other car. The young victim fell unconscious immediately after the crash but after regaining consciousness she was visibly distressed. She sustained multiple fractures and bruising and needed to use a wheelchair and a metal brace on her arm.

The other occupants of the car suffered whiplash, bruising and abrasions. Prosecutor Hannah Meredith-Jones said when the police arrived at the scene, Nowland told them “I know I’m going to fail the breath test. .

. I passed the give way line, it was my fault. I didn’t realise how strong mulled wine was.

” The defendant was arrested and underwent tests to determine the extent of his intoxication. He recorded 90mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, more than twice the legal limit, and had 34mg of cocaine per litre of blood, more than three times the limit. In his police interview, he admitted he had failed to see the ‘Give Way’ sign and was unfamiliar with the road.

He claimed he had taken cocaine two days prior to the collision and didn’t realise he would still be under the influence. Nowland, of Shelburn Close, Grangetown , pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, drug driving and drink driving. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation, Ieuan Bennett said his client worked for Volvo but had a “difficult family breakdown” which led to him suffering depression. he said the defendant had a history of taking too many painkillers and started to drink too much. The barrister said father Nowland had “foolishly” made the decision to drive after his friend said he was feeling unwell.

He said his client had said “I wish I could be the girl in the car” and had stopped drinking since the collision, having undergone a detoxification programme. Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull KC said: “That was a monstrous piece of driving. I reject the suggestion you only had two glasses of wine, analysis of your breath and blood shows the contrary and I reject the suggestion you hadn’t taken cocaine for some days, the analysis shows you had a reading of 34mg of cocaine in your blood, the legal limit being 10mg.

“The results of that collision were catastrophic as far as your victims were concerned. A nine-year-old girl will live with what you did for the rest of her life. She sustained painful injuries which included broken bones.

She was in hospital for three days, had to use a wheelchair and her arm had to be strapped in an iron brace until it healed. She still has nightmares as a result of what you did. ” Nowland was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years.

He was ordered to carry out 240 hours unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of 18 days and an alcohol treatment requirement for six months. He was also disqualified from driving for four years. You can sign up to our regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here while this interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area:.