An asylum seeker who fractured a bride-to-be's spine by crashing an uninsured vehicle into her car has been jailed. Nasir Al Soaimi, 19, was trying to flee police when he severely injured nurse Clare Kehoe just three weeks before her wedding. The black Citroen he had been driving caught the attention of officers in Newcastle on April 1 last year but Soaimi failed to pull over, instead driving away at 58mph on a 30mph road.
He then smashed into the passenger side of Ms Kehoe's car as she pulled out from a side street. The nurse suffered a fractured pelvis and had to rely on strong painkillers and crutches to get through her 'dream' day. Soaimi, who is from Kuwait and had never passed a driving test, claimed he did not know a licence and insurance were required for UK motorists.
He was locked up for 28 months, with a two-year road ban after release and faces the prospect of deportation. Newcastle Crown Court heard a passenger in Soaimi's vehicle ran off while Ms Kehoe was cut from her car by the emergency services. Soaimi smashed his vehicle into the passenger side of Ms Kehoe's car as she pulled out from a side street.
She was taken to the nearby Royal Victoria Infirmary and diagnosed with fractures to her pelvis and spine. In an impact statement made 17 weeks after the crash, the nurse said she had been unable to return to work as a result of her injuries, which also stopped her visiting vulnerable relatives, including her mum in Scotland.
She said the Volvo car she was driving, which was written-off in the crash, had been given to her by a late relative and had huge sentimental value. She added: 'The accident happened three weeks before I was due to get married. I did get married but this impacted massively on my dream day. She added her enjoyment of looking back at pictures of her special day has now also been impacted: 'We were due to go on honeymoon to Paris, this didn't happen due to my restricted mobility.
