Teen charged after hit-and-run caught on CCTV

7:00pm Tuesday 17th October 2006

A TEENAGER has been charged in connection with a rush hour "hit and run" which left a man critically injured.

Saajid Patel, 18, of Winchester Street, Blackburn, is due to appear in court accused of aggravated taking of a motor vehicle, failing to stop after an accident and document offences, including driving without insurance.

The crash prompted a major appeal for information after CCTV footage of the incident, caught on cameras at a Blackburn builders merchants, appeared in the Lancashire Telegraph.

The footage from Byrom Supplies, Chapel Street, captured a car crashing into pedestrian John Hill in the street outside its perimeter wall.

The pictures showed Mr Hill walking on the pavement after he had made his way down St Peter's Street in the rain at 6pm on August 17.

Seconds later the silver Vauxhall Vectra was seen turning into Freckleton Street from King Street before crossing the road, mounting the kerb and striking Mr Hill. As Mr Hill lay motionless on the pavement the car continued its journey and disappeared out of shot.

Mark Royle-Evatt, of Accrington road policing unit said: "As a result of all the publicity surrounding the incident we have had a lot of information from anonymous callers. Without the CCTV footage we would not have had the same response. I would like to thank residents for their information."

Mr Hill, 50, of Union House Hostel, in St Peter's Street, in the town centre was in hospital for six weeks where he was treated for back injuries and cuts and bruises.

Good Samaritan biker George Holden, 46, of Elgar Close, Blackburn, stopped on his way home from work at the scene of the incident when he spotted Mr Hill, lying on the floor and the car driving off.

He took off his biker jacket to cover Mr Hill, who had fallen underneath a leaking drain pipe and was soaking wet, and sat with the casualty until an ambulance arrived.

The car, which was reported stolen, was later found abandoned outside St. Wilfrid's CE High School and Technology College, in nearby Duckworth Street.

Patel will appear before Blackburn Magistrates on October 23.