CRASH HORROR 

Mum of Archie Battersbee jailed for running driver off the road and into tree after ‘bottling’ row

THE mum of tragic 12-year-old Archie Battersbee has been jailed for running a driver off the road and into a tree.

Hollie Dance, 50, tailed her victim from Southend to Basildon in Essex in a BMW in October, 2022.

Hollie Dance has been jailed after she ran her victim off the road and into a treeCredit: SWNS
 

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Hollie’s son, Archie, tragically passed away months before her offendingCredit: PA
She would eventually ram the victim’s Peugeot off the road and into a tree before her son, Thomas Summers, 26, struck the victim with a hired Toyota.

Dance is the mother of Archie Battersbee, who died aged 12 in August 2022 after a High Court battle.

Her mitigation highlighted her son’s death, with her defence pointing to the “harrowing months” she had been through before her offending.

Prosecutors told Basildon Crown Court, however, that the grieving mum “ran the man off the road and forced him into a tree”.

The judge told the defendants the loss of Archie was ‘desperately sad’Credit: Louis Wood
 

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Dance’s son Thomas Summers has been jailed after hitting the victim with a hired ToyotaCredit: Refer to source
The victim suffered serious injuries in the horror smash, including a fractured and dislocated shoulder and a fractured foot.

Prosecutor Richard Scott said that the defendants, both from Southend, “believed the complainant in this case had been involved in an incident in which another member of their family had been hurt”.

Dance’s daughter and Summers’ sister had allegedly been “bottled, ” an act the pair believed their victim was behind.

Dance and Summers’ victim told the court he was aware there were rumours he had “bottled someone prior to the collision.”

In a victim impact statement the man went on to say: “I can confirm this is not true, this is something I would not have done.”

Both defendants were found guilty after an earlier trial of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.

Dance pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was found guilty of possessing a prohibited weapon – a gas canister.

Summers pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was found guilty of affray.

Tragic 12-year-old, Archie Battersbee, Dance’s son, spent almost five months in intensive care after suffering brain damage in a social media dare.

Archie was unresponsive after the “freak accident” – with doctors declaring him “brain-stem dead”.

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Dance has been banned from driving for 43 monthsCredit: Refer to source
 

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An inquest concluded Archie Battersbee died accidentallyCredit: AP
His mum Hollie Dance and dad Paul Battersbee launched a mammoth legal battle to keep their son alive as they vowed to fight to the end.

But they lost their fight at every hurdle, with High Court judges ruling that keeping his life support switched on was not in the youngster’s “best interests”.

Hollie tragically confirmed her “beautiful little boy” Archie had passed away in August 2022 after his life support was switched off.

Archie was found unconscious with a ligature over his head at home in Southend.

An inquest concluded the youngster died accidentally in a “prank or experiment” that went wrong and had not intended to harm himself.

During his mum’s trial, Bibi Ihuomah, for Dance, said an expert described the defendant as “a woman whose life had been profoundly damaged by a terrible event”.

She continued: “She had been through five harrowing months.

“In the sixth month, which was August, her son’s life support was withdrawn.

“The night before the offences she had been assessed regarding her mental health status.”

Archie’s funeral took place on September 13, 2022.

Ms Ihuomah said “weeks after the burial of her son these offences were committed”.

Prosecutors pointed to Dance’s previous convictions of actual bodily harm (ABH) in 1996 and drink-driving in 2017.

Emily Lauchlan, speaking for Summers, said it was an “impromptu pursuit without forward thinking or planning”.

The judge, Recorder Peter Clark, told the defendants the loss of Archie was “desperately sad” and that afterwards “somebody assaulted and injured your daughter and your sister”.

He said there are “correct ways to respond to unlawful behaviour”.

He told the pair: “Your response was completely unlawful, you sought revenge.”

According to the judge: “all the evidence suggests you sought revenge against a person wrongly identified as the perpetrator”.

He sentenced Dance to four years in prison and banned her from driving for 43 months.

He jailed Summers for five years and ordered a four-year driving ban.

Dance blew a kiss to the public gallery as she was led to the cells today, while Summers made a peace sign when he was led down separately afterwards.

CRE: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/39257380/archie-battersbee-mum-jailed-bottling-road-row/