A driver under the influence caused a serious A30 crash, severely injuring a woman and her two children near Shaftesbury.
It was dark when he tried passing a van, driving on the wrong side of the road. Burden went back to his lane, then hit the roadside grass. His car swerved across the road. A woman and her two kids got hurt in the accident.
The children, aged 12 and 10 years old, needed hospital care after the crash. They had broken bones and other injuries. The family was going to a tennis lesson, and one child even got something in their eye. Burden was also badly injured and went to the hospital as well.
His blood showed he was over the limit. Earlier, he had crashed his motorcycle near his old place, hitting a Nissan Micra. A neighbor tried to stop him, but Burden switched the damaged bike. He got in his BMW and left anyway.
He admitted guilt in court last year. He pleaded guilty on November 8, 2024, admitting to causing injury by driving badly. His sentencing was February 7th, 2025, and he brought a bag for a likely prison stay.
The prosecutor, Julian Lynch, spoke about Burden’s driving, saying he should have known better after his motorcycle crash. The overtaking move was very unsafe, and the road had a solid white line. His lawyer, John Dyer, gave an explanation.
Dyer said Burden recently got a PTSD diagnosis and likely had it before, as he was in the Army for three years and went on a dangerous mission to Sierra Leone. Dyer added Burden’s mental state is bad, but he was doing better before the crash. Charities help him with his health now, and he got leg injuries from the crash.
Dyer said Burden regrets driving that night, though it is unclear why he acted that way. Burden knows he hurt innocent people and has not driven since the crash. Burden will spend one year in jail, after which he will get released on license.
He already had a driving ban for drunk driving. His ban will now have two more years added. Judge Mousley gave the sentence, saying, “Luck stopped the injuries from being worse.” He added that dangerous driving caused the crash and the motorcycle crash factored into the decision. The judge felt the sentence could not be reduced.