A man used his own car to ‘stop an extremely impaired driver from killing somebody’.
Angela Annells, 61, was driving on the wrong side of the road and crashed through a traffic island on Kingsdown Road, Swindon, on 27 September this year.
Pauline Lambert said that Robert Matthews was driving when he spotted a Volkswagen Arteon swerving left to right, crossing the road into oncoming traffic.
Fearing the driver was going to crash into another vehicle, he pressed his horn and flashed his lights to attract the attention of other motorists.
But Annells crashed through a newly installed traffic island and road signs, causing “sparks to fly everywhere”.
Despite damaging her vehicle, she continued driving after the impact – causing another vehicle to leave the road onto the pavement and grass to avoid being involved in a collision.
Ms Lambert said: “Mr Matthews decided to try and put a stop to it. He accepts he could have been inured, but he couldn’t just sit behind the vehicle and watch.
“He overtook and placed his vehicle in front of the car and turned his hazard lights on. He continued reducing his speed until the car eventually stopped.”
Annells appeared “dazed and confused” in the car and “unsteady on her feet” when she exited. Mr Matthews had to physically hold on to her to stop her from falling over.
She was arrested at the scene but failed to provide a specimen of breath in custody. At Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 7 December, she pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen and driving without due care and attention.
The court heard that the defendant, of Haywain Close, Swindon, has two previous convictions for similar offences – she was last banned from driving for 36 months in 2014.
Charlotte Frizzell, defending, said her client had been “honest and open” with her, stating that whilst she has no diagnosed breathing problems, she struggles to give a continuous breath – even at during gym’s health check.
She said Annells also suffers from depression and anxiety. “In my experience, it can cause shortness of breath when you’re in a difficult situation”, Ms Frizzell added.
She said that the defendant had not taken her anxiety medication, did drink – but not drink to excess – prior to the incident and felt she was able to drive home safely.
Ms Frizzell added that Annells had a “high-pressured job in customer service” and as a result was “unable to cope and secretly drinking”. She’s since told her husband about her problem and is getting help.
She has since left her stressful role and is working across the road from her home – meaning the loss of her driving licence won’t affect her ability to get to work.
District Judge Joanna Dickens described the incident as “very serious”.
She said: “This was obviously a very serious incident, the driving was horrific. This was a horrendous episode of driving, you could have killed somebody.
“The gentleman that came in to stop you, I said it last time, he was a hero. He is a hero. He showed a huge amount of courage.
“Your driving was horrific – you’re very lucky not to be charged with dangerous driving. There was an extremely high level of impairment, could have killed you or somebody else.”
Ms Dickens imposed an eight-week prison sentence suspended for one year. She also imposed a mental health treatment requirement, 25 rehabilitation activity days and a £300 fine.
Annells was banned from driving until March 2026 and must pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £154 victim surcharge.
