2 days ago
Father and son jailed after inventing story over crash which seriously injured woman
A father and son have both been jailed after inventing a story over a crash which left a woman seriously injured in Buckley-Barber, 19, was driving at high speeds and 'showing off' when he overturned his car into a watery ditch in Pevensey in April 2023.
A female passenger in the car suffered serious injuries.
Instead of calling the emergency services, the then 17-year-old called his father, Jason Barber.
Barber, 46, drove his son home first before taking the woman to hospital.
While in the car, the woman could hear the father and son inventing a story, claiming the car had been forced off the road to avoid hitting an animal.
After the woman was brought into A&E at Eastbourne District General Hospital, staff reported the crash to police.
Officers later went to Barber's address, but he told officers he didn't know where his son was.
At the scene of the crash, beer cans were recovered from around the Ford Escort, and Buckley-Barber had been with friends at a party earlier in the night.
The teenager was not found that night, and only called police 12 hours later where he repeated the made-up story.
Phones were seized from the father and son, and revealed that Barber sent a text message to a friend, claiming he 'hid' his son from police on the night they were looking for him.
Mobile phone footage also showed Buckley-Barber's "reckless" driving shortly before the crash.
Inspector Vicki Rees, Sussex Police
Luic Buckley-Barber, 19, of Maresfield Drive, Pevensey, pleaded guilty to causing serious injuries by dangerous driving and was sentenced to one year and four months in prison, and was disqualified from driving for three years.
Jason Barber, 46, of the same address, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.
Speaking after the case, PC Jessica Crump from the Roads Policing Unit said: 'The father and son showed no regard for the victim's welfare that night, and only looked out for their own interests.
'Dangerous driving is one of the fatal five offences that cause deaths and injuries on our roads.
'Luic decided to drive dangerously behind the wheel, with another person's life in his hands. He had not maintained his vehicle in a good state of repair, and was extremely lucky he did not cause a fatality that night."
