Prison Officer Jailed After Gambling on Phone Caused Crash Into Pregnant Woman

A prison officer in the UK has himself been sent to jail after he crashed his car into a pregnant woman, causing extensive injuries. Jack Bentley was reportedly gambling and gaming for two hours while driving before crashing into the woman’s car.

The woman required emergency surgery to deliver her baby prematurely at 33 weeks. She also suffered a broken pelvis. One of the children in the car suffered a fractured ankle, while their dog needed emergency spinal surgery.

Bentley pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. A judge in Derby Crown Court in England sentenced him to two years and four months in prison, as well as issuing a driving ban for three years and two months.

Two-Hour Gambling Binge Behind the Wheel

The court heard how Bentley had been driving recklessly throughout a two-hour drive between Derby and Blackpool in April last year. Upon sentencing, Recorder Penelope Stanistreet-Keen said, “For pretty much the whole two hours you were in the car, you had been on your phone on gambling and gaming sites.”

Witnesses had previously noted his erratic driving, with CCTV footage showing him swerving across lanes, clipping sidewalks, and finally crashing into traffic.

Stanistreet-Keen added, “Eight miles earlier (a witness) was so concerned about your driving – clipping the kerb, hogging the outside lane and weaving in and out of traffic – they took a photo of your car in case they needed to call the police.”

In a similar case in South Korea, witnesses caught a bus driver gambling on an illegal betting site. The bus driver was only fined as he did not cause any injuries.

Woman Separated From Baby After Crash

In Bentley’s case, however, the crash caused extensive injuries to the woman and her family. She had to be rushed to the hospital and underwent an emergency C-section.

As a result, she was separated from her premature baby. In her victim statement, she said, “Any mother should not give birth without skin-to-skin contact, and for the first three weeks all I could see of my daughter was her in an incubator from my hospital bed,” as reported by Derbyshire Live.

While her child in the car suffered a broken ankle, the baby appears to have survived unharmed. Bentley apologized to the victims, with his lawyer stating, “He would like to say how sorry and devastated he is for what he has done. He knows the incident has had a huge effect on the victims and their family.”

Defence Cites Former Military Service

In his defence, Bentley’s lawyer cited his previous military service. He had served in the British Army in Kenya, but was forced to “leave the profession he loved” due to hearing loss from artillery fire. 

Upon returning to the UK, he had been serving as a prison officer, but was suspended from his position amid the case.

There have been strong links between problem gambling and the military. In the US, the Senate approved funding for further research into military gambling addiction last year.