Moment West Midlands drink driver who killed a dad on Christmas Eve tells police "you've got nothing”

Bodycam footage shows the moment a West Midlands drink driver who killed a dad on Christmas Eve laughed and told police, “you’ve got nothing”.

Mark Plimmer, 29, of Blythe Bridge, also known as Mark Mellor, is currently serving an 18-year sentence after he went boozing at different pubs in Tean and Stoke-on-Trent on Christmas Eve 2023. He was having shots and laughing and joking with bar staff as he went about his night.

Staffordshire Police say he got in his car at about 7pm that evening and drove more than double the speed limit while drunk and lost control of the car. He crashed into another car on Uttoxeter Road, Draycott-in-the-Moors.

Charalambos Nicolaou, aged 62 at the time, was just getting into the other car when Plimmer hit him. He was visiting from Cyprus with his daughter and had just finished eating at a nearby restaurant. Charalambos died at the scene.

Charalambos’ two friends who were also getting into the other car when it happened were left with serious injuries.

Police say Plimmer ran off after it happened and they found him hiding in a bush nearby and arrested him. The force says he told them he had nothing to do with it, that Mark Plimmer wasn’t his name and that he was innocent. He kept laughing at the officers, telling them they’d got the wrong person.

On his way to custody, he said “you’ve got 24 hours to charge me. With a burnt-out car, you’ve got nothing” and laughed at officers again. He was charged on Christmas Day, while Charalambos’ family were coming to terms with their impossible loss. Plimmer was convicted of death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was jailed for 18 years in September last year.

PC Jon Stant said: “This case just goes to show how incredibly damaging drink and drug driving can be.

“We’ve had cases where people have shown remorse. They’ve told us that it was never their intention to get behind the wheel while under the influence of a substance, but one thing led to another and things got out of control. We’ve had others, like Plimmer, who showed absolutely no regard for those around him that night. He thought drink driving was fine and that he’d get away with it.

“No matter which side of the coin you fall, you are wrong every single time. Drink and drug driving devastates the lives of families forever and cannot be undone. That is why we are so determined to put a stop to it in Staffordshire.”

Last month, the force made 76 arrests across Staffordshire on suspicion of drink or drug driving. In the last year, a total of 34 fatal or serious injury collisions happened in Staffordshire where drugs or alcohol was a contributing factor.

PC Stant said: “We really need people to help us champion this cause. While we’re working on a 24/7 basis to go after those putting themselves and others at risk on our roads, we need people to challenge this behaviour in amongst their own circles too.

“If you know someone who does it, speak to them. Show them this video. This is going to be the outcome for them, and the poor family who loses another loved on because of the actions of someone else.

“If you’re down the pub, make sure you’re the one challenging your friends who might think a few pints will be fine to get behind the wheel, or if they’re taking drugs and they think they can handle it.

“By working together, we can bring a stop to those who could be the next Mark Plimmer, and more importantly, save the life of someone who could be the next Charalambos Nicolaou.”