A 39-YEAR-OLD man has avoided an immediate prison sentence after injuring a child in a crash.

Oliver Flippance pleaded guilty to three charges involving the incident on September 8 last year when he careered into a crash barrier on the A419 near Cirencester.

The defendant, of Dolina Road, Swindon also failed to stop after the incident, despite a child in the Seat Ibiza he was driving being injured.

Flippance pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, failing to stop after an accident and neglecting a child for whom he had responsibility at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on Monday, August 7.

In relation to the offence of neglecting a child, a 20-week prison sentence was imposed suspended for a year.

For the two driving offences, he received a four-week prison sentence suspended for a year which will run consecutively to the other sentence if activated. 

This means that if Flippance commits any further offences within this time frame he will have to spend more than five months in prison.

The court also ordered him to attend rehabilitation appointments for a maximum of 10 days and to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work within the next year.

Eight points were added to his licence. 

Flippance must also pay a victim surcharge of £154 plus £774 costs - a total of £928.