A YOUNG drunk driver hospitalised a dog walker and killed his pet after mounting the pavement in a campervan in Poole.

Charles Richard Collins, 22, of Uppleby Road, Poole, shared 12 bottles of lager with a friend before getting into the vehicle and ploughing into unsuspecting Andrew Borrill and his West Highland terrier Ben.

The dog died at the scene and IT consultant Mr Borrill suffered life-threatening injuries.

The grandfather spent eight days in hospital after suffering a bleed on the brain, a broken neck and countless cuts and bruises all over his body.

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Nearly two hours after the collision, Collins was breathalised and was twice the drink drive limit and also tested positive on a drug swipe.

Collins pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, criminal damage (for killing Ben), drunk driving and driving while unfit through drugs.

The court heard Collins had driven to a service station at 5am on September 19 last year where he bought 12 bottles of Heineken.

He and a friend parked up in the Talbot Express campervan and drank the beers before leaving the service station at 8.45am.

Twenty minutes later Collins mounted the pavement in Compton Avenue and hit Mr Borrill and Ben.

Bournemouth Echo:

Richard Oakley, prosecuting, told Poole Magistrates' Court: "Mr Borrill suffered serious and life threatening injuries and his dog Ben was killed at the scene.

"Mr Borrill was in hospital for eight days after the collision. He had operations and treatment for a brain bleed, torn ear that required stitches, a broken tooth, neck fractures, four further operations for dislocated toes, cuts and bruises all across his body.

"He had been a carer for his father, visiting each day, but his father died before he was able to see him again.

"The offence is aggravated by the defendant's impairment, not only through drink but drugs as well. It is clearly very serious injuries.

"It wasn't a long course of dangerous driving but going up on the pavement for no apparent reason other than presumably because of his impairment."

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The magistrates decided their sentencing powers were not enough for the seriousness of the offence and sent the case to Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing.

Bournemouth Echo:

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Borrill said: "I didn't hear a thing. He came up behind us and I didn't know anything about what had happened because I was knocked out straight away. The first I knew about it was waking up on the floor.

"You just don't expect something like that to happen, especially not on the pavement, in the morning.

"Ben and I just happened to be on a bit of the pavement where there's no traffic obstacles, such as telegraph poles. If there had been something like that it probably would have stopped him from hitting us, so that was quite unlucky.

"But in reality I could have been killed, so I was also lucky that it wasn't worse.

"It's taken eight months and quite a bit of recuperation. It's all been a nightmare, I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

"I got told what had happened to Ben in the ambulance. Westies normally live to 14 or 15 so he was only halfway through his life really.

"One thing that really annoyed me was I couldn't drive for three months but he was still at his liberty to get in another vehicle and drive, despite what had happened. That didn't seem fair when I had lost my liberty."

Collins will be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court next month. Magistrates banned Collins from driving with an interim disqualification until his sentencing.

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