Calmore man David Hillier sentenced at Southampton Crown Court after twice crashing car into ex’s flat

A CALMORE man twice crashed his car into his ex’s downstairs flat in revenge for her breaking up with him.

A drink and drug-fuelled David Hillier (53) crashed a Ford Focus into the ground-floor property at Elizabeth House on 20th July last year, Southampton Crown Court heard.

During his sentencing, prosecutor Julia Brechtelsbauer said Hillier had sent a text to his victim moments before the first impact saying: “You’re not talking to me. They will talk about it now.”

“Seconds later [the victim[ heard screeching tyres and an engine revving,” Ms Brechtelsbauer continued. “She saw a flash of headlights through the window and then a huge crash. The car then went back a few car parking spaces’ distance in reverse and then drove forward again [into the property].”

The court heard just moments after the second crash the victim received a second message from Hillier saying: “I’m sorry.”

Police arrived and arrested him and he initially claimed the incidents had been accidental. But last November he pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage that recklessly endangered others, and dangerous driving.

The court heard Hillier was 52 when he committed the offences after the end of a three-month relationship with the victim, who has since died of bronchopneumonia.

Ms Brechtelsbauer said prior to the two crashes Hillier was in a relationship with the woman and would regularly not let her leave her flat. She said Hillier would take his partner’s keys from her whenever he left the flat so she was “unable to leave”.

After the relationship ended, Hillier began calling and sending text messages to the woman and she in return “begged” to be left alone.

The court heard among the aggravating factors of Hillier’s crimes were that he was under the influence of alcohol when he committed them and they were “at least partly” about revenge.

Describing them as “serious and unusual” circumstances, Ms Brechtelsbauer said she can only “imagine the impact” these crimes would have had on the victim.

The court also heard Hillier had 15 convictions for 39 previous offences, mainly relating to criminal damage and driving, most recently in 2007.

Gaylene Coles, mitigating, said the court had ordered a psychiatric report on Hillier before determining he was mentally fit to enter pleas during his November court hearing.

She said Hillier deserved the credit for pleading guilty, and that some of Hillier’s family members were in court to support him.

Ms Coles said her client had been in custody since his arrest and during that time had been diagnosed as having dementia and brain damage, possibly related to past drinking and substance abuse.

The court heard Hillier suffered from a lung disease, diabetes and epilepsy, and had suffered seizures and heart attacks while in custody. Ms Coles also said her client has been “seriously assaulted” several times while inside, including at least once with a razor.

Hillier had been spending 24 hours a day in a cell except for when he was allowed to shower, and that his time in custody has been “traumatising”, Ms Coles said.

Hillier was described as “vulnerable”, unable to read and write, and as a man who is “still grieving” after his ex-partner’s death, to whom he had previously referred as the “love of his life”.

As he wept in the dock, Ms Coles said Hillier had committed his offending under the influence of alcohol and drugs but was now clean and intended to remain that way.

Recorder Nicholas Haggan sentenced Hillier to two years in jail, suspended for two years, for criminal damage that recklessly endangered others. He was also given a concurrent one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for dangerous driving.

Hillier was also banned from driving for two years with a requirement to take an extended test to regain his licence after that period, handed a 30-day of rehabilitation activity under the probation service, and a 120-day alcohol abstinence requirement.