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Norwich issue statement with player jailed after seriously injuring people in horror crash

Norwich issue a statement with player Flynn Clarke jailed for 12 months after seriously injuring people in a horror crash last year.

The 20 year old footballer pleaded guilty to the charges, which related to an incident in Thorney near Peterborough in April 2022.

Clarke, who netted for Scotland Under-21 debut last year, has also been handed an interim driving ban during sentencing at Cambridge Crown Court.

Eastern Daily Press report how the incident took place after he took laughing gas, with nitrous oxide discovered in the vehicle.

Possessing laughing gas moved a step closer to being made illegal, after MPs voted overwhelmingly to have it categorised as a class C drug earlier this week.

Flynn drove an BMW into the opposite carriageway, hitting a motorhome head-on at 50mph.

Peterborough Crown Court were told that his girlfriend had been in the front seat with three male friends in the rear seats as he attempted to regain control of the car after it clipped a kerb leaving a roundabout.

Prosecutors said witnesses described Clarke to have been driving in an “indecisive manner” and was struggling to stay in his lane prior to the crash in April 2022.

“He accepts having consumed nitrous oxide earlier in his journey,” the court heard.

But, there were “unclear and conflicting accounts” whether it had been taken at the time or immediately prior to the collision.

The motorhome owner was seriously injured, with a fractured pelvis, hip, knee and ankle and needed a number of operations including a hip replacement. This has put him out of work as a HGV driver.

In a statement read out to court, he said: “Over the last 16 months I have been in pain and discomfort.

“This incident sends a shiver up my back when I think of it and how the consequences should have been very different.”

A BMW passenger, 21, said he had feared he might never walk again after they were airlifted to hospital having suffered internal bleeding and a sustained a broken collar bone, sternum and vertebrae, left potentially in pain for the rest of his life with Clarke now to live with the consequences of his actions.

Clarke previously pleaded guilty to three charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving with Mr Dominguez KC, his defence counsel, saying the incident had been due to a “momentary lapse of concentration” and he had shown “significant remorse”.

“He has not looked to offer any excuses. He has taken full responsibility for his actions,” he went on.

The court heard that his club, Norwich City, are likely to terminate Clarke’s contract (which runs until 2025) should he be sent to prison.

It was only on the 2nd of September 2023 that he sent on a season-long loan to National League outfit Dagenham & Redbridge.

In a statement, Norwich City, who bought him for an undisclosed fee from Peterborough United, said: “Following the decision, the club will now consider the matter internally in accordance with its own disciplinary procedure.”

Dagenham & Redbridge meanwhile say they were “unable to make any further comment until Norwich City have completed their own inquiry in accordance with their disciplinary procedures”.

Clarke joined the Peterborough United academy at the age of 9. The midfielder featured for a Posh XI in a pre-season friendly against Deeping Rangers in July 2019, before making the bench in EFL Cup ties against both Northampton Town and Arsenal U21s.

Flynn made his first team debut in a 1-0 loss to Cheltenham Town in the first round of the EFL Cup in September 2020. In his second appearance for Peterborough, an EFL Trophy tie against Burton Albion, he scored his first goal for the club. His league debut came in Peterborough’s opening game against Accrington Stanley in September 2020.

He was picked for the Scotland under-19 squad in October 2020.

On 24 June 2021, Clarke signed for Norwich City for an undisclosed fee. Clarke went into the Norwich City under-23s team for the 2021/22 season and impressed in the Premier League 2 scoring twice in the opening 10 games from central midfield. He also netted twice in a 3-1 win over Reading in the Premier League Cup in January 2022

On signing Clarke, Ben Strevens said at the time: “He’s a player we’ve know about for a while and as soon as we knew it was a possibility we wanted to get him into the club.

“Flynn can cover a load of the attacking areas and we believe he will add goals and assists to the group. He’s come here to develop his game, and he’s fitted in straight away so we are delighted to have him on board with us”

Twitter users reacted as Norwich issue a statement with the player jailed after seriously injuring people in the horror crash…

@BenJacklin: Terminate his contract now, please.

@McEwen1171: Careers gone great since moving to a bigger club 😍 #pufc

@Captcrick7: We’ll soon have a former Posh Prison Xl #pufc

@WALE_Tendai: Career didn’t even start now it’s in the bin

@becky_boo94: @Dag_RedFC why did we take him on? Surely someone knew about this! Silence yet again. People were hurt!

@RyanM11M: What an idiot.. You have a promising career, your a role model and you throw it all away.. #ncfc #otbc

@Curtis_furness: How did I not hear anything about this until now? He’s only just gone out on loan despite pleading guilty. Should have released him

@NCFCFINLAY15: Wasn’t good anyway

@ben_yfd: Pahahaha this was the stupidest loan in the history of football

@08obrien08: 🤦🫢 poor sentence to be honest.

@LoafBloke666: Couldn’t make it up could you?

@marowe1988: Err…well that loans ended! 2 sub appearances and a pen given away. Not one of our betters ones! Assume we were told it would be suspended….

@aw7794: Yeah that move to Norwich really went well then, utter clown. Ain’t getting paid those millions he was promised from a prison cell #pufc

@alfieowen2014: Nah I’m sorry what, didn’t we just sign him on loan 😭

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