Hollie Dance was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, while her son Thomas Summers was convicted of related charges
The mother of Archie Battersbee has been jailed after a road revenge incident against the ‘wrong’ man. Hollie Dance and her son Thomas Summers forced a man off the road believing he had ‘bottled’ a member of their family.
Dance, 50, was behind the wheel of a BMW in October 2022 as she pursued the victim’s Peugeot from Southend to Basildon in Essex, eventually forcing him off the road. DailyStar reports Dance is the mother of Archie Battersbee, who tragically passed away at the age of 12 in August 2022 following a High Court battle.
Her mitigation emphasised the “harrowing months” she had endured prior to her criminal behaviour. Prosecutor Richard Scott informed Basildon Crown Court that the other driver was “run off the road by Hollie Dance, forcing him into a tree” and ejecting him from his vehicle.
Her son Summers, 26, who was operating a rented Toyota, then “rammed into (the man) and sent him into a bush”, Mr Scott added. The prosecutor stated that the man sustained injuries including a fractured and dislocated shoulder and a foot fracture.
Mr Scott explained that the backdrop to the incident was 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”.
He revealed that the family member was Dance’s daughter, Summers’ sister.
In a victim impact statement summarised by the prosecutor, the man said he was “aware there were rumours I had bottled someone prior to the collision”. “I can confirm this is not true, this is something I would not have done,” the man declared.
Both defendants were convicted following an earlier trial of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. Dance admitted dangerous driving and was convicted of possessing a prohibited weapon – a gas canister.
Summers admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was convicted of affray. Archie Battersbee died after his life support was withdrawn following failed attempts to overturn a High Court ruling that doctors could lawfully do so.
An inquest later determined the boy, who was discovered unconscious with a ligature over his head at home in Southend, died accidentally in a “prank or experiment” that went wrong and had not intended to harm himself. 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, and Ms Ihuomah said “weeks after the burial of her son these offences were committed”. Mr Scott said Dance had previous convictions including for actual bodily harm (ABH) in 1996 and drink-driving in 2017.
Emily Lauchlan, for Summers, said it was an “impromptu pursuit without forward thinking or planning”. The judge, recorder Peter Clark, addressed the defendants, stating that the loss of Archie was “desperately sad” and that afterwards “somebody assaulted and injured your daughter and your sister”.
He emphasised that there are “correct ways to respond to unlawful behaviour”. “Your response was completely unlawful, you sought revenge,” he admonished them.
He further noted that “all the evidence suggests you sought revenge against a person wrongly identified as the perpetrator”.
He sentenced Dance to four years in prison and imposed a driving ban of 43 months. Summers received a five-year prison sentence and a four-year driving ban.
As she was led to the cells on Friday, Dance blew a kiss to the public gallery, while Summers made a peace sign when he was led down separately afterwards.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login