BMW driver, 43, who ploughed into old couple's Telford house admits careless driving
Offender who destroyed pensioners’ home to face sentence later this month
A motorist who ploughed his high-powered BMW into an elderly couple’s house - leaving a huge, gaping hole in the wall - has admitted careless driving.
Dale Hoggins, aged 43, drove his BMW M4 into the home in Holyhead Road, Ketley, Telford on November 10, 2024 - which happened to be his 42nd birthday.
The couple living there, David Gaunt and Patricia Morris, miraculously escaped injury, but their home was severely damaged.
David said he thought the “huge bang” of the car hitting their home was like a bomb going off.
The BMW remained lodged in the wall for several days while emergency crews and engineers installed steel beams and wooden supports before it could be safely removed.
It was a traumatic time for David and the late Patricia, who sadly died earlier this year after a fall.
“I’m sure he didn’t set out to ruin anyone’s life, but he did,” David told the Shropshire Star.
“I got over it but Patricia never did. I hope he gets took off the road.”
Hoggins, of Dulwich Grange, Bratton, Telford, was initially charged with dangerous driving, but has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving without due care and attention, which has been accepted by the prosecution.
Judge Anthony Lowe set a sentencing date at Shrewsbury Crown Court of November 19 and granted Hoggins unconditional bail in the meantime.
Speaking in the aftermath of the crash, David had told how only good fortune had saved him and Patricia from being seriously injured or killed in the shocking incident.
He said: "Luckily we were going out with family for the afternoon otherwise we would have been sat in that living room. My partner had just gone into the kitchen and had called me in to ask if I was ready yet.
“So I got up and went into the kitchen and then all hell broke loose.”
He said the “entire house shook” and there was a “huge bang” but neither of them thought it was a car.
“I thought it was a bomb,” said David. “Patricia was hysterical. It was only when I went into the front room that I saw that there was a car in our living room. It was a hell of a mess.”
He said they were in shock, but a pair of passers-by helped them from the property.
“These two really nice gentlemen came in and said, 'we've got to get you out of here, it is not safe', and they helped us out. I don't know who they are but I wish to thank them,” he added.
David also thanked Danielle Hoyle, who set up a GoFundMe donation page in the wake of the crash which helped raise more than £4,800.
“Without that we’d have been in real trouble, there’s no two ways about it,” David said. “She was a godsend.”
He said the donations went towards refurnishing their home, which they returned to six months after the crash.
In the meantime, they were put up in Telford’s Ramada hotel, Sapphire House and an unfurnished property in Apley.
“We went through the mill a bit,” David said.