A FORMER Brookside star has been spared jail after he shattered the legs of two schoolgirls in a horror crash.
The 12-year-old girls were crossing the road in Wallasey, Merseyside, when Louis Emerick Grant ploughed into them.
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One suffered a broken leg in the crash while the other was left with a fractured leg and ankle, a broken jaw and teeth.
Grant, who played Mick Johnson in the Channel 4 show, has now been spared jail after he admitted causing serious injury.
The actor was instead handed a 26 week prison sentence suspended for 12 months an an 18 month driving ban.
Wirral Magistrates’ Court was told the girls had been crossing the road to go to the shop on October 2 when the horror unfolded.
As they reached the centre hatched markings in the middle of the road, Grant was seen in his Honda cutting the corner of a right-hand bend.
He then entered the markings where the girls were and smashed into them.
JPs were told both girls were unable to return to school for several months and will need to undergo further surgery for their injuries.
Grant was breathalysed at the scene but there was no evidence he had taken drink or drugs or that he was using his phone at the time of the crash.
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The actor was not seen slowing down or braking on the approach to the bend and later blamed the sun for obscuring his vision.
Grant was wearing prescription glasses at the time, which react to the sun.
District Crown Prosecutor Linda Melia, of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: “This was an extremely distressing incident and the two girls suffered serious injuries as a result of what happened on that day.
“Louis Emerick Grant was not speeding but admitted that he couldn’t see clearly because of the sun so he should have slowed down. The sun visor of the car was not down.
“He has been fully cooperative and remorseful throughout the investigation and has apologised on numerous occasions. He has been in contact with both families and has apologised to them too. He tested negatively at the roadside for drink and drugs.
“When we drive a car we are in control of something powerful that, if we lose concentration or clear vision for a minute, can cause serious injury, even death.
“It’s clear Mr Grant did not mean to injure these girls, but the events of that day are a lesson that, when we are at the wheel of a car, care and attention are needed at all times.
“When we don’t drive carefully or considerately we are breaking the law and this case is an example of how serious the results of that can be. The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the girls and their families for their help in bringing this prosecution.”
Grant played cabbie Mick on Brookside from 1989 to 2001.
He also had roles in Casualty, Last of the Summer wine and Coronation Street, where he played Mike Thornberry.
The star recently appeared Netflix’s mini-series Cleopatra
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