Fareham mum's plea to hit-and-run driver who 'could have killed her son' to hand themselves in

A MUM who said her son was ‘lucky not to have been killed’ when a hit-and-run driver mowed him down has appealed for the reckless motorist to hand themselves in to detectives.
By Tom Cotterill
Published 23rd Jan 2021, 13:54 BST
A cyclist pictured passing a bus in Redlands Lane, Fareham, on Saturday - a day after a hit and run left a 24-year-old man injured. Photo: Tom CotterillA cyclist pictured passing a bus in Redlands Lane, Fareham, on Saturday - a day after a hit and run left a 24-year-old man injured. Photo: Tom Cotterill
A cyclist pictured passing a bus in Redlands Lane, Fareham, on Saturday - a day after a hit and run left a 24-year-old man injured. Photo: Tom Cotterill

School site worker Connor Arnott-Carter was cycling home after completing a shift at Wallisdean Federated Schools in Fareham when an ‘inpatient’ driver of a ‘grey or silver’ Renault Megan smashed into him.

The collision took place opposite the small row of shops in Redlands Lane, shortly after 8.30am on Friday.

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The driver was overtaking a bus which had partially blocked off the road when he ploughed into 24-year-old Connor, leaving the cyclist sprawled in the road before then speeding off.

The impact left Connor ‘bruised and battered’, with a ‘sore back and side’ but thankfully without any serious injuries.

But Connor’s distraught mother, Bridgete Hamblin, said the collision could have been deadly.

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Speaking to The News with the permission of her son – who declined to talk about the crash, the 49-year-old: ‘I can’t get my head around how someone could do this. It’s shocking.

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‘I’ve tried to rationalise why the driver didn’t stop – were they in shock, were they scared?

‘But there’s no excuse. Connor could have potentially been killed and this driver just left him in the road.’

Mrs Hamblin, who also works at Wallisdean as a site manager, recounted her horror after being told by a teacher her son had been run over.

The mother of two said: ‘I was just filled with dread. I didn’t know how badly injured he was. It was very frightening.’

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SEE ALSO: Man, 22, stabbed just minutes after two-car crash

Running out to meet her injured lad, Mrs Hamblin saw a crowd of passersby had gathered and were helping Connor, with some providing him with warm clothing.

Paramedics eventually arrived at the scene about an hour after the crash and Connor was taken to Gosport War Memorial Hospital for assessment. He was released later that day.

Hampshire Constabulary is now investigating the crash and are appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward, with a spokesman saying enquiries were ‘ongoing’.

In a direct plea to the driver who knocked her son down, a tearful Mrs Hamblin said: ‘The right thing would have been to stop because now they’re in even more trouble.

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‘I’m trying to appeal to their better nature. I hope they’re not a bad person and didn’t do it deliberately and didn’t care. I believe they must have been in shock and what they must be feeling now, with the stress and worry knowing they’re in trouble, must be horrible.

‘They should do the right thing and hand themselves in.’

Anyone with information about the hit and run should call police on 101, quoting 44210024979.

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