Driver's trail of destruction in stolen car
A 22-year-old who had never had a driving lesson wrote off two cars and put two people in hospital while at the wheel of a stolen sports car, a court heard.
Laurence McNeill was trying to outrun police after they asked him to stop, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
Wheels spun on the red Mazda RX8 as it accelerated sharply and started to fishtail across the street in Baptist End Road, Dudley at 5pm, the court was told.
The £2,200 car – stolen from Green Park Road, Kates Hill days before the October 3 incident – clipped a silver Colt in Halesowen Road, causing £150 damage, the court heard.
It then cannoned into the back of a red Ford Ka with a woman and child inside, both of whom were later taken to hospital complaining of whiplash injuries. McNeill leapt out of the Mazda but did not put the handbrake on. The car rolled down the road, hitting a Honda Civic and causing £750 damage. The Mazda and one of the other cars were later written off.
McNeill, of Arley Court, Swan Street, Netherton, claimed to have bought the car for his girlfriend. He admitted dangerous driving, handling stolen goods and driving without insurance or a licence.
He was given a six month jail term suspended for a year plus 100 hours unpaid work. He was also banned from driving for 12 months.
