Woking FC academy players in A3 car crash

THREE young?Woking FC footballers had a lucky escape?on Monday?when a car crash on the A3 left them with only minor injuries.

The collision came just three days after nine of their team-mates from the club's academy?also managed to walk away from the train that was wrecked when a cement mixer crashed through a road bridge in Oxshott and landed on top of it.

The?players involved in the A3 incident -?Matt Pegler, Sean Bradley and Anson Cousins -?were all taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford to have treatment for?injuries including whiplash.

At around 3.11pm on Monday, a Renault Megane driven by Mr Bradley was involved in a collision with a blue Audi?on the sliproad to join the A3 northbound?between Burpham and Send.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: "One police car did attend the scene of the incident, which had already been moved to the hard shoulder when we got there.

"The three males were left in the care of the paramedics and transported to hospital with minor injuries shortly afterwards."

All three players were released from hospital within a few hours,?but Woking's reserves match against?Uxbridge scheduled for Monday evening had to be cancelled.

Matt Howard, head coach of the club's academy, said: "I visited them in hospital and luckily they are all OK.

"These guys would all have been playing, so the club decided to cancel the game because people's heads wouldn't have been in the right place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that these things happen in threes and I thought, 'what else can go wrong?'.

"When I got to the hospital though they were all coping well and making jokes, which was a big relief.

"The first thing they said when they got out of their car was, 'how are we going to get to the match?'.

"That shows how dedicated they are, and we can't wait to get back on the pitch again now."

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Woking park attacker fails in sentence appeal bid

A BARMAN who knocked a teenager unconscious when he punched him twice during an attack in Woking Park?last year?has failed in a bid to have his prison sentence reduced.

Carl Betts, 22, was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Guildford Crown Court in August after pleading guilty to assault causing?grievous bodily harm.

He punched 17-year-old Kirby Pearce twice in the head on November 26 last year, causing?near fatal injuries which could take?the victim?up to three years to fully recover from.

At the Court of Appeal on Monday (November 1),?Betts' lawyers argued the prison term was too long because the consequences of the punches were medically unusual and could not reasonably have been foreseen.

However, three senior judges ruled that, although the sentence was severe, Betts could have no complaint.

Mr Justice Hedley said: “This case raises the tensions between the culpability of the offender in the commission of the criminal act and his responsibility for the consequences of that act, when the consequences are far more serious than would ordinarily be expected.

“Those who chose to punch someone to the head, particularly if they do so twice, cannot expect to have their pleas heard too loudly when they appeal over the consequences of what they have done.”

Betts, of Dartford Road, Leicester, was riding his bike through the skate park at 2am when he encountered Kirby and his friends drinking.

They had made remarks towards him about the speed he was travelling.

Betts?then dropped his bike and walked back to the group. During the confrontation he grabbed Kirby and punched him on the jaw and temple.

The teenager was taken to hospital and later discharged.

However, the following day he was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, after developing blinding pains in his head and ear.

He underwent emergency brain surgery for?two-and-a-half hours, during which his scalp was peeled back.

Betts was arrested after his name was suggested as a suspect on Facebook.

Kirby said it had come as a shock to hear that Betts had appealed against his sentence, but he was nonetheless relieved that?his attacker?had been unsuccessful.

For more on this story, see this week's Woking edition of the Surrey Advertiser, out on Friday, November 5.

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