One-legged man who mowed down pedestrian on his mobility scooter in Shrewsbury avoids prison - but receives hefty legal bill

Alan Briscoe, aged 62, crashed into his victim near Havana nightclub in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury.

A jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court took around an hour to unanimously find him guilty of causing bodily harm to Robert Taylor, who was left with a hole in his arm the size of a 5p or 10p piece after bone protruded through his skin.

Mr Taylor died in July last year before Briscoe was convicted, although prosecutors said his death was nothing to do with the crash.

Briscoe, who is a former landlord of pubs in Shrewsbury including The Old Lion Tap and worked as an RAF warfare systems expert, was previously described as “repulsive” by Judge Anthony Lowe when he was sentenced for a £19,000 benefit fraud in 2019.

He was back before the same judge this week to face justice for this incident. Judge Lowe handed Briscoe, of Armdale, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered him to pay £3,600 in prosecution costs.

During the two-day trial in November last year, CCTV footage was shown to the court of Mr Taylor stepping into the road outside Abbey Hardware at around 10.20pm.

The mobility scooter then appeared to come into contact with Mr Taylor, who fell, before getting up, holding his arm and stumbling away.