In the blink of an eye, what began as a routine trip to pick up her son turned into a nightmare for Roxanne Dale, a 36-year-old mother of five.
In a fit of anger, she found herself in a situation that would forever alter the course of her life, as well as that of a security guard at a busy ASDA supermarket in Wallsend, North Tyneside.
Back in February, Dale arrived at the supermarket’s car park to retrieve her son.
Emotions ran high as she encountered a situation that quickly escalated.
Witnesses were shocked as they watched Dale, in a moment of uncontrolled fury, crash into another vehicle before turning her anger towards the security guard on duty.
Without warning, she drove her Audi into the guard’s foot, leaving her with a severely broken ankle.
The entire incident was caught on CCTV, which clearly shows the security guard approaching Dale’s car, trying to de-escalate the situation.
However, the situation took a tragic turn when Dale knocked the guard to the ground and drove over her foot, speeding away afterward.
The public quickly rushed to assist the injured security guard, who later required surgery that included the insertion of metal plates and 14 screws to mend her shattered ankle.
The security guard’s life was turned upside down by the incident.
In her victim impact statement, read at Newcastle Crown Court, she described how she now lives in constant pain and fear.
She revealed that loud cars trigger her anxiety, and she is now terrified of being injured again.
Diagnosed with PTSD, the emotional and mental scars are just as deep as the physical ones.
“I could never have imagined how my life could change that day,” she said. “What started as a completely normal day for me turned into a nightmare and months of pain.”
On July 31, Dale was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for her actions.
She was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident.
In addition to her prison sentence, she was also banned from driving for three years following her release.
Judge Gavin Doig, who reviewed the CCTV footage, expressed his disbelief at the severity of the incident.
He remarked that the security guard had no idea she would suffer such a grievous injury when she approached Dale’s car that day.
The Defense: A Mother’s Regret
During the trial, Dale’s defense attorney, Penny Hall, explained that Dale had acted out of fear for her son’s safety.
Dale had received a panicked call from her son, and upon arriving at the car park, she saw him surrounded by people, which fueled her anxiety.
While Dale did not intend to harm anyone, she accepted responsibility for her actions, expressing deep remorse for the pain she caused the security guard.
Having already spent nearly six months in custody, Dale now faces the challenge of rebuilding her life after her release.
Her five children, ranging in age from young to teenage years, will undoubtedly be impacted by the events that unfolded on that fateful day.
Dale has expressed a desire to move away from the area and start anew once she completes her sentence.