Banned: 'Welsh Evel Knievel' branded 'driving liability' after trailer flipped and caused crash
A daredevil motorcycle jumper has been banned from driving after a motorist ploughed into a Land Rover that fell off his trailer.
Jason Rennie, a stunt rider who has set several records over the years and was known as "the Welsh Evel Knievel", was driving a Mitsubishi Shogun truck on the A41 at Tern Hill, Market Drayton, when disaster struck.
The 51-year-old had been at Wicked Wholesale in Market Drayton with a friend on December 14, 2020, when they loaded the Land Rover onto the trailer. Rennie's friend started driving, but when they got back to the A41, Rennie took over the wheel as the other man did not feel it was safe.
Rennie pulled over at a fish and chip shop, before setting off again on the A41. The vehicle started fishtailing, so Rennie tried to correct it. But the vehicle started to swerve and the trailer flipped, with the Land Rover ending up in the opposite lane.
Coming in the other direction was Edward Kealey in a Peugeot. He could not avoid the Land Rover and crashed, sustaining a broken right knee, a laceration to his right arm and multiple other bone breaks. A passenger in his car sustained minor injuries.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that Rennie had five previous convictions for 13 offences, including possession of Class A drugs, driving with excess alcohol, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.
Rennie, of Heol Maelor, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by driving while disqualified. He was previously acquitted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after trial.
Paul Smith, mitigating, said Rennie has issues with alcohol and takes cocaine. He added that Rennie's family rely on him more since his mother had had a stroke recently.
Judge Anthony Lowe described Rennie as "a liability when it comes to driving vehicles", and handed him an eight-month jail term, suspended for two years.
"You don't pay any regard or have any worry about courts saying you can't drive," Judge Lowe said to Rennie.
He also disqualified Rennie from driving for two years, ordered him to undertake 20 rehabilitation activity days and a six-month alcohol treatment programme. Rennie must also pay prosecution costs.
In an illustrious motorcycle stunt career, Rennie broke a world-record for jumping over three lorries, a distance of 251m, in 2000. He also jumped his Yamaha YZ250 122 ft from a ramp moving towards him, at Rednall Airfield, near Oswestry.
