A judge described the financial pressures facing criminal barristers as “tough” as he fined a lawyer £800 over a crash that left a woman with a broken pelvis.
Oxford-educated barrister Paul Humphries, 63, drove out of a £200-a-night four-star hotel and spa, where he had been staying with his wife, and into the path of motorcyclist Zoe Heath.
The collision threw Ms Heath from her motorcycle, leaving her with a fractured pelvis, extensive bruising and four breaks to her pubic rami bone.
After the crash, she relied on a walking frame for six weeks and had to sleep sitting upright because of the pressure on her back and legs.
Humphries admitted causing serious injury by careless driving at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He was fined £800, ordered to pay £720 in costs and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
The barrister, who lives in a four-bedroom home in Sale, Greater Manchester, had asked the court to find “special reasons” that would allow him to avoid a driving ban, but the application was rejected.
He told the court he needed his Mercedes — a 2021 model capable of 155mph and believed to be worth about £28,000 — because his unwell wife would be “impacted” if he lost his licence.
Humphries also said his earnings could be as low as £400 a week.
Paul Humphries, who was fined for causing serious injury by careless driving after crash
Sentencing, District Judge Jack McGarva claimed the notion of ‘fat cat lawyers’ was a ‘lie’ despite the defendant driving a 155mph turbocharged vehicle, which sells brand new at £80,000, and booking into a hotel where rooms can cost £200-a-night.
After being informed by Humphries’ lawyer about his extent of his earnings which mostly come from taxpayer-funded legal aid handouts, the judge retorted: ‘That proves the lie of fat cat lawyers. Life is tough.’
Humphries had been driving his black 3-litre Mercedes E450 out of the swanky Thurnham Hall hotel and spa near Lancaster where he had been staying overnight with his wife when he collided with Ms Heath.
She was riding her 500cc Honda Revell at 25mph.
The court heard that since the accident, Ms Heath has been unable to work and she subsequently lost her home. She was also put on statutory sick pay thought to be around £123 pounds a week.
Humphries, who predominantly defends legally aided clients at Preston Crown Court, told police he was ‘apologetic’ for the crash but blamed two ‘blind bends’ near the entrance to the hotel for him failing to spot Miss Heath as she came round the corner.
He said he had been staying at the 17th Century hotel with his wife, who runs a recruitment company, so he could buy lamb from a nearby farm.
The hotel itself is steeped in history, is set in 30 acres of land and boasts a Jacobean Great Hall.
The incident occurred at 4pm on April 25 last year when Humphries was driving out of the hotel to get a carton of orange juice ahead of his trip to collect his packages of lamb.
Thurnham Hall hotel and spa, where Humphries had been staying prior to the collision
Humphries, who has been working as a barrister for 40 years after getting a Masters degree at Oxford University, claimed the crash scene was at an accident blackspot due to ”two blind bends” either side of the hotel entrance.
But Darcie Clampitt, prosecuting said: ‘If the bend was blind and the defendant’s view was restricted that required greater caution not less.’
‘He was not faced with an unusual or unforeseeable hazard. The road layout should not absolve road users of their duties to make sure that it’s safe before entering.’
Ms Clampitt added: ‘In fairness to the defendant, immediately after the collision he alighted his vehicle and attended to Miss Heath.
‘She required medical attention and was taken by ambulance to the Royal Preston Hospital.
The court was shown dash cam footage taken from Miss Heath’s bike in which she could be heard crying loudly in pain on the road.
Humphries claimed a police officer who attended told him: ”They ought to put a police station here, there are so many accidents in this area.”
The barrister told the hearing: ‘My wife and I had been staying at the hotel for the first time and I had been there the night before.
Site of the crash, where the hotel access road joins the A588 between two bends
‘I was thinking ‘I hope there is no traffic coming around that bend to my left’ so I was looking left again.
‘I had looked right but when I pulled out I was actually looking left because of the bend. I took precautions I thought were necessary.
‘There were no traffic lights, no mirrors, no road markings to mark the central dividing line.
‘The police officer did suggest that they should have a police station on that stretch of road because of the number of accidents.
‘I was a little late to pick up the lamb that I was going to pick up at 4:30pm – but I phoned them while we were waiting.’
The court heard Humphries had no points on his driving licence and his only motoring offence was a speeding ticket in 1980 when he was 19.
David Mannering, defending, said: ‘This was a junction which is poor in terms of visibility.
‘(It) was a one-off incident and is incredibly apologetic for what happened. He cannot turn the clock back.
‘His income was £39,000 last year but his relevant weekly wage now would be at present £400.
‘It is mostly legal aid work. His wife unfortunately has an illness herself. If he was disqualified it would have an impact on her. There is a civil claim and Miss Heath will be adequately compensated.’
In a statement, Ms Heath said she was still affected by her injuries. She said: ‘I was in the hospital for three nights and four days and for three days I was unable to get out of bed.
‘I was given one month’s full pay at work but following that I have been on Government’s statutory sick pay.
‘I was unable to pay the rent and consequently had to move back into my former marital home with my ex-husband. He has taken unpaid time off work to help me with my recovery.
‘Standing up and sitting down are painful and I feel mentally affected. I am terrified to get back in a car even as a passenger. It has taken me eight weeks to drive again and I will not consider getting back on a motorcycle.’
She said she had unable to take part in Dave’s Day – celebrating the life of late Hairy Biker Dave Myers in his hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Sentencing, the judge told Humphries: ‘The old slogan ‘Think once, think twice, think bike’ comes to mind. I accept the junction is difficult but that just demands greater care.
‘The defendant is a man of exemplary character, there is no need for any probation intervention in this case. The punishment can be achieved just as well by a fine.
‘There is no compensation because there is an insurance claim and I am not qualified to award compensation.’
Criminal barristers have previously gone on strike over pay but during one wave of industrial action a striking female lawyer was pictured holding a £1,100 Mulberry handbag – leading to critics joking about ‘the most elite picket line in the history of British industrial relations’.
