Mother and son jailed after seriously injuring driver in revenge road attack
A mother and her son have been jailed for an unlawful attack in which they ran another motorist off the road after believing he was responsible for the attack which left a family member injured.
Hollie Dance, 50, was sentenced to four years in prison, while her son Thomas Summers, 26, was sentenced to five years in prison following the incident in October 2022.
Basildon Crown Court heard Ms Dance was driving a BMW and followed the victim’s Peugeot from Southend to Basildon in Essex.
Prosecutor Richard Scott said Ms Dance “ran past Hollie Dance, forcing her to crash into a tree” and threw her from her vehicle.
Mr. Summers, who was driving a rented Toyota, then “collided with (the man) and sent him into a bush,” according to Mr. Scott. The victim suffered serious injuries, including a fractured and dislocated shoulder and a broken foot.
The defendants, both from Southend, “believe the complainant in this case was involved in an incident in which another member of their family was injured, particularly Miss Dance’s daughter and Mr Summers’ sister”, the court was told.
However, the victim denied these allegations in his statement summarized by the prosecutor, saying: “I can confirm that this is not true, this is something I would not have done.”
Ms Dance’s defense highlighted the “sad months” she endured before the crime. She is the mother of Archie Battersbee, who died aged 12 in August 2022 after his life support was removed following a Supreme Court battle.
An inquest later concluded that the boy’s death was accidental and the result of a “prank or experiment” gone wrong. Ms Ihuomah, who represented Ms Dance, noted that the crimes were committed “weeks after her son’s funeral”. Ms Dance also has a previous criminal record for causing actual bodily harm in 1996 and drink driving in 2017.
Both Ms Dance and Mr Summers were found guilty following an earlier trial of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Ms Dance also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was found guilty of possessing a gas canister, a prohibited weapon. Mr Summers pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was found guilty of affray.
Recorder Peter Clark acknowledged the “extremely sad” loss of Archie Battersbee and that “someone attacked and injured your daughter and sister”.
But he stressed that there are “correct ways to respond to illegal behavior.” “Your response was completely unlawful, you wanted to take revenge,” he told the defendants, adding that “all the evidence shows that you wanted to take revenge on a person who was mistakenly identified as the perpetrator.”
In addition to the prison sentences, Ms Dance was banned from driving for 43 months and Mr Summers was banned from driving for four years. As they were led to the cells, Ms. Dance blew a kiss to the public gallery and Mr. Summers flashed a peace sign.
