Driver Jailed For Hit and Run Crash

A man has been handed a 10-year driving ban after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm, failing to stop following a collision and perverting the course of justice, following a near-fatal collision in Gosport last year.

Driver Matthew Styler, of Keith Close, Gosport, has also been given five-and-a-half years in prison for failing to stop after crashing his blue Vauxhall Astra into two young women on Stoke Road on July 2 last year.

Kirsty Searle, 19, and Holly Burns, 20, had been walking home after a night out when they were mown down, Holly thrown into the air.

Instead of stopping to help the stricken women, 36-year-old Styler sped off leaving them lying in the road as he fled to dump his car before setting it alight. He then changed his clothes, washed everything he had been wearing including sunglasses and belt and shaved off his beard in a bid to cover up the crime.

Despite his efforts, Styler was located by officers the following morning and arrested.

Sergeant Andy Lynch from the Road Death Investigation Team said:

“Styler’s actions were callous to the extreme and demonstrated his disregard for human life.

“Not only did he leave his victims in the road where for all he knew they could have succumbed to fatal injuries, he went to great lengths to cover up his involvement in the crash.

“Anyone who has heard the details of this horrific collision will appreciate how lucky these young ladies are to still be with us.

“Holly is still undergoing treatment today and it’s fair to say both she and Kirsty have some way to go before they can move on with their lives. I hope today’s sentence goes some way in helping them do that.”