(Image: Newsquest)
A driver who carried out a brutal hit-and-run on a woman that ended up severely injured avoided jail today.
Jason Rae, 54, struck Alisha Ferns, then 32, in Bell Street in Glasgow's Merchant City on June 10, 2023.
Miss Ferns had earlier lost balance and fell to the ground, having had her hand on a taxi which drove off.
Rae, of the city's Mount Vernon, then hit Miss Ferns while she was on the ground and dragged her along the road before he fled the scene.
Rae later told police officers that he had been in another area of the city and called the charge against him "Fictitious."
Miss Ferns was left with numerous injuries which included a fractured skull, a collapsed lung and was in intensive care on ventilation for 12 days.
Rae was found guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court of causing serious injury to Miss Ferns by careless driving.
He was also convicted of failing to stop to give his name and address after being in an accident.
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Sheriff Louise Arrol KC told Rae at today's sentencing: “Before I can impose custody, I have to be satisfied that there are no other appropriate methods of dealing with you.
“I am not satisfied and I will impose a community payback order.”
Rae was put under supervision for two years and ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work.
Rae was further tagged for 12 months, keeping him indoors between 7pm and 7am.
He was also disqualified from driving for five years, after which he will have to complete an extended test before he is allowed back on the road.
The court heard from witness Tania Esefania, 32, who left her work at a nearby bar close to the time of the incident.
She stated that she had been approached by an intoxicated Miss Ferns who asked her for a cigarette.
Miss Esefania told jurors that she got into her car and saw Miss Ferns speaking to a taxi driver while eating a box of chips.
The witness said: "She had another hand on the window of the car.
"The driver just drove and she fell to the ground on the road."
When asked by prosecutor Kyle Dalziel how long Miss Ferns was on the ground for, Miss Esefania replied: "To be honest, I don't remember, five minutes, when I saw she could not stand up."
Miss Esefania stated that Miss Ferns had tried to stand up.
She said: "I was checking on her on my wingmirror and she wasn't there."
However, Miss Esefania later saw the woman again.
Mr Dalziel asked what condition she was in and Miss Esefania replied: "So bad, I was asked to check if she was breathing...it was so traumatic."
John Grieve, 44, told jurors that she saw Miss Ferns with her hand on a people carrier taxi.
He said: "It then sped away and she fell back onto the middle of the road.
Mr Grieve, who lived near to where the incident happened, stated he initially went away from his window before he went to his balcony for a better view.
The witness shouted and asked if Miss Ferns was "alright."
He then saw a car stop near to her but did not recall anything about the vehicle.
Mr Grieve stated that five minutes later, it went "a bit quiet" and he went to look again and saw Miss Ferns further along the street.
He said: "There were a lot of people around her, I thought she would be getting looked after, I didn't see how she ended up there."
Miss Ferns was in fact struck by Rae who drove off.
Mr Dalziel told jurors in his closing speech: "You heard evidence of people screaming as the car was travelling down the road.
"As a result of the collision with Miss Ferns, he dragged her body down the road to the danger of her life and devastating injuries to her."
Miss Ferns was taken to hospital and found to have suffered a string of injuries.
This included a fractured skull, fractured eye socket, facial fractures, shattered spleen, liver wounds and disruption of blood to the kidney.
She also sustained a collapsed right lung, tissue loss to her shoulder, multiple rib fractures, friction burn and a shattered pelvis.
Miss Ferns underwent several surgical procedures and was kept on ventilation until June 23, 2023 before being discharged from hospital on August 19, 2023.
A joint minute of agreement said: "It is the opinion of the doctor that she survived this episode with significant facial deformity."
Rae was traced by police who stated to officers: "It was driving the car, it was my car, I wasn't driving on Bell Street, I was in Tollcross."
In reply to caution and charge, Rae replied: "Fictitious."
It was revealed that Rae’s previous convictions include an assault as well as a 2022 careless driving matter.
Bronwyn Moore, defending, told the sentencing that her client continues to profess his innocence.
Miss Moore added: “He appreciates the seriousness of the matter he was convicted of and that Miss Ferns suffered significant injuries which has had an impact on him and he can reflect on that aspect of it.”