A NEW mother who crashed her car into a tree after inhaling nitrous oxide has avoided an immediate jail sentence. 

Paige Webber, 21, of Greenmeadow Terrace, Penrhiwfer, near Tonypandy, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing today, Thursday, after being found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving earlier this year.

The court heard Webber and a friend, Tyla Murrell - who were both 19 at the time - had spent the day together on December 12, 2020, when she crashed her Audi A1 into a tree on Waunwaelod Way, near Caerphilly Mountain, shortly after midnight.

Judge David Wynn Morgan said Webber and Ms Murrell, along with three men, had bought and inhaled nitrous oxide canisters during the day.

Ms Murrell had told the jury in the trial how Webber had begun inhaling a canister while driving, and had swerved into a ditch, taken both hands of the wheel, and drove at speeds up to 53mph before crashing into the tree.

Ms Murrell received an open fracture dislocation of her left ankle in the crash, and had to be cut free from the car.

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Prosecuting, Jeffrey Jones, read a victim impact statement to the court which Ms Murrell stated that she was scared to get into a car and always believed that she would crash. She also explained how it has physically and mentally impacted her, with doctors saying there was a chance the leg may never fully recover and she would have to walk with a limp and may get early onset arthritis.

She also described the effect it would have on her desired career as a horse trainer as she had been unable to ride since the crash, meaning her hopes to move to Abu Dhabi to work training horses were in ruins.

Kevin Seale, mitigating, told the court that Webber had just had a child and was on maternity leave from a job in which she was highly praised. He said that she has shown an increase in maturity and that she wished she could turn back time and do things differently.

Webber had initially admitted a charge of driving without due care and attention, but this was rejected by the prosecution.

Judge Morgan told Webber that, had she not recently become a mother, she would have been going straight to prison.

He said that she had shown no remorse towards Ms Murrell and had not apologised for her actions.

He sentenced her to 24 months in prison, suspended for 24 months. She has to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and pay a statutory surcharge.

She was also banned from driving for five years.