Man so drunk he could hardly speak caused head-on horror crash after driving the wrong way on roundabout

A man who caused a major crash by driving the wrong way around a roundabout was so drunk he could barely speak. A court heard how Neil Bason drank heavily at the pub while watching a World Cup game before getting behind the wheel.

After the crash, Bason walked away from the scene and claimed that an imaginary friend was the one driving. Bason's case was held at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday (September 13).

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During the case, Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, described, Declan Preston, the victim of Bason entered the junction with Scarisbrick New Road on December 10 and was met with the glare of the headlights of an oncoming Ford Fiesta which was travelling anti-clockwise on the roundabout driven by Bason.

The Echo reports how Mr Preston "slammed on his brakes" but was unable to avoid the collision. Mr Preston was left sat in his car "shaking" before getting out and asking Bason, the driver of the other vehicle, "what the hell he was doing" and adding: "You must be drunk."

Mr Blasbery said that the defendant "couldn't even speak" and got back into his car briefly before walking away from the scene. A member of the public who had assisted the complainant at the scene then spotted him at the nearby Esso patrol station, and the police attended the garage.

Bason, of Norfolk Place in Widnes, told officers that although his vehicle had been involved in the accident he had not been the driver. He failed an initial breath test, and once in custody following his arrest was still more than twice the legal limit.

Under interview, the 37-year-old stated that he had been in the Blue Anchor pub in Southport with his partner and had consumed