A firefighter who seriously injured two teens in a crash before fleeing the scene has been sentenced to nine months behind bars.

Tymothy Scraders, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing grievous bodily harm by dangerous driving and one count of leaving the scene of an accident, all related to a collision which occurred on Middle Road, Paget, in the early hours of July 21, 2013.

The court heard that Scraders was travelling east near Bostock Hill when he attempted to overtake two other cars travelling in the same direction.

In the process, he struck a motorcycle travelling in the westbound lane, ridden by 18-year-old Matthew Correia.

Both Mr Correia and his pillion passenger, 18-year-old Christian Hillen, were injured in the collision.

Mr Correia suffered a broken clavicle and finger, while Mr Hillen suffering extensive leg injuries requiring multiple surgeries.

Prosecutor Nicole Smith said that despite being a firefighter and trained Emergency Medical Technician, Scraders drove away from the scene of the crash without stopping.

He was arrested after his girlfriend took the car, which belonged to her, to be repaired. Questioned, she said Scraders had been using the car on the morning of the crash.

During a police interview, Scraders admitted being involved in the crash but said he drove way because a passenger in the car told him the bike had ridden away from the scene, leaving him to believe the collision involved a clipping of mirrors.

Ms Smith however said witnesses described hearing a loud bang when the collision took place and seeing Mr Hillen be thrown through the air.

Combined with the damage caused to both vehicles and extensive injuries suffered by the victims, she called on the court to disregard the defendant’s claim he didn’t know the severity of the crash.

She said his decision to drive away flew in the face of his training as a firefighter, saying: “He is supposed to be in the business of keeping people safe, but the defendant acted in total disregard to public safety and other road users.”

Noting recent media reports decrying a “culture of bad driving behaviour,” she asked for a sentence of a year in prison to send a message that dangerous driving will not be tolerated by the courts.

Defense lawyer Dantae Williams, representing Scraders, said that as a result of the charges the defendant had been suspended by the Fire Service and would almost certainly be left unemployed.

He described the crash as the result of a “temporary lack of judgement”, adding that if Scraders had been aware of the seriousness of the collision he would have made a different decision.

Mr Williams said the defendant had been a man of good character who had dedicated himself to helping the public, noting a series of glowing reports in the court-ordered social inquiry report, and emphasised that his client had immediately acknowledged his wrongdoing and expressed deep remorse.

Given all the circumstances, he suggested that a suspended sentence would be appropriate, adding that the defendant was willing to make reparations to the victims.

Scraders himself apologised to the victims for the emotional and physical suffering he had caused them, asking for them to find it in their hearts to forgive him.

Delivering his judgement, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves said Scrader had made a terrible decision by attempting to overtake two cars on a dangerous section of road, calling his manner of driving not only dangerous but “absolutely stupid”.

The judge said the situation was further aggravated by Scrader’s choice to leave the scene without checking on the men he had struck, saying the excuse given by the defendant was absurd given the circumstances.

Mr Justice Greaves later added: “Given his experience as a fireman, it’s difficult to understand why his instinct would not be akin to be more like the kind of a good Samaritan. The only conclusion I could draw is he didn’t stop because he didn’t want to stop.

“He was a guilty man on the run.”

Even taking into account Scraders guilty plea and previous work in the community, the judge said a custodial sentence was appropriate given the circumstances.

He sentenced Scraders to six months behind bars for each count of causing grievous bodily harm through dangerous driving, with both sentences running concurrently, and banned him from driving for three years.

And he further sentenced Scraders to three months imprisonment for leaving the scene, ordering that sentence run consecutively to the others for a total term of imprisonment of nine months.

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