REECE PARISH

A man responsible for a car theft that resulted in a 94-year-old woman suffering a broken neck and spine after crashing into a care facility was sentenced to over five years in prison.

Sam Asgari-Tabar was driving a stolen vehicle with Reece Parish when he was fleeing from police at speeds exceeding 100mph.

During the pursuit, he lost control of the car, which then crashed into a care home in Highcliffe, Sunderland.

The collision caused significant damage, with part of the ceiling collapsing onto the elderly resident, who had to be rescued from the debris.

It was later revealed that Asgari-Tabar, 21, of Stratford Avenue, Sunderland, was already prohibited from driving due to a drug-related driving ban and served a suspended sentence for assaulting his parents.

He received a sentence of five years and eight months for robbery and causing serious injury through dangerous driving.

Parish, also 21 and from Fordham Road, Sunderland, was sentenced to three years and one month for his role in the robbery and a separate charge of violent disorder linked to the Sunderland riots.