City boss broke man’s skull in drunk hit-run

A City finance expert has been jailed for eight months for driving into a taxi and fracturing a passenger's skull after an afternoon drinking session.

Layton Tamberlin, 32, who works for TDR Capital, hit the cab and continued driving down a busy London street even though his car was on fire.

He had been drinking wine and cocktails at a Mayfair corporate party for several hours and was more than twice the legal alcohol limit when he drove his £50,000 Audi S6 back to his £2.6 million home in Hampstead.

After five miles and near his house, he smashed into the taxi in Finchley Road, fracturing the skull of the Canadian tourist climbing into the back. Funbi Taiwo, 47, was in hospital for 19 days.

Tamberlin stopped 600 yards later where he and colleague Max Herbertstein were dragged out of the car before it burst into flames.

Tamberlin, who holds 14 company directorships, began drinking at the Metropolitan Hotel bar at 1.30pm on 15 August last year. The married father-of-one claimed the accident happened as he was distracted by Mr Herbertstein. Judge John Hillen told Tamberlin: "Your driving was quite terrifying. Your friend was so drunk he was not accepted into any taxi. You made a decision that was inexplicable, but it was made knowing what you had drunk. You know the limits."

Prosecutor Emma Jones told the court it was just after 9pm when taxi driver Sam Deering "suddenly heard a massive sound of crashing metal and was thrown forward in his seat".

"He saw a dark coloured Audi swerving from side to side with flames coming from the underside. It was making off at a fast speed," said Miss Jones.

A witness pulled two people out of the blazing vehicle after it stopped 600 yards later. "The passenger was so drunk he couldn't stand up and then the car burst into flames."

When quizzed by police Tamberlin claimed he hit a lamp post, and told officers he felt sober enough to drive.

He pleaded guilty to all charges at Blackfriars crown court. He was jailed for three months for drink-driving and two months for failing to stop, to run concurrently with the eight months for dangerous driving with excess alcohol. He was also disqualified from driving for five years.