Jailed for M40 coach crash

Man who admitted causing a coach to OVERTURN on a Thames Valley motorway is jailed.

Thomas Roby, of Cavell Road in Oxford has been sentenced to 12 months in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court.

The 21 year old, of Cavell Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty on 30 December 2010 to causing danger to road users by interfering with a motor vehicle.

On 30 August 2010, he was a passenger on an Oxford Tube coach, travelling along the M40 to London. At about 2am, as the coach was travelling between junctions three and two southbound, Roby grabbed the wheel from the driver and the coach overturned.

Twelve passengers and the coach driver were onboard. No-one was seriously injured in the crash and only one passenger required hospital treatment.

Roby fled from the scene and hid in the back garden of a nearby property, before being found by officers and arrested.

PC Ryan Whiles, who investigated the incident, said: “This collision was caused entirely by Roby grabbing the wheel and could have had far worse consequences for those on the coach. It is only down to the skill of the driver that no-one was seriously injured. This was still a terrifying incident for those involved and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the coach.”