[A] Penrith man has been sent to prison after pleading at Carlisle Magistrates Court to three motoring offences on May 22 in and around the town.
Liam James Jacques, 29, gave his address as Musgrave Street, Penrith, he was told by District Judge Gerald Chalk on passing sentence he [Jacques] should not have taken his partners car and went “joy-riding” to buy cigarettes.
The court was told that the defendant pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking after taking his partners spares keys to her Peugeot car and causing damage to a fence on land.
Then failed-to-stop after an accident to a boundary fence on land near Fogs Close Farm. He also drove the car while he was already a disqualified driver, that disqualification was imposed in September 2016 for a period of 36-months.
John Smith defending told the judge that Jacques went to bed early, then in the early hours he needed some cigarettes, so he took his partners spare keys, he travelled from Musgrave Street to a petrol station to buy them, he couldn’t think of any other place to buy them at that time of night. After the crash with a fence post he left the scene, leaving the car as a “write-off”, his lawyer said his client showed real remorse, as hours later he contacted his partner to explain what had taken place.
On passing sentence the judge told Jacques that these were a series of aggravated offences, he already knew he was a disqualified driver and went joy-riding for cigarettes while he was subject to a Community Order and a banned driver, for the three-offences he was sent to prison for 70-days, he was disqualified for a period of 24-months and 35-days, he also has to pay compensation of £400 to his partner.
