A man from Grinsdale Village near Carlisle has pleaded guilty at the North and West Cumbria Magistrates Court to driving without due care and attention.
The court was told on Tuesday July 16 last year police officers in a marked vehicle noticed the silver Ford Fusion car on western bypass at the Grinsdale roundabout.
Jonathon Charles Haughan, 25, pleaded guilty by letter last month, but appeared in court today (THURS) to be sentenced.
Police officers followed the car onto Housteads Road and Holmrook Road, the car had reached speeds of 50mph in a 40 limit, the court was told the impression the officers got was “he was actively trying to avoid them,” he then speeded-up and drove along Yewdale Road, Morton West into the car park behind the Chinese take-away, where he crashed into a number of rubbish bins, before he exited the car and ran away with “his mobile phone in his mouth”.
Haughan told the magistrates “he was not speeding when he hit the bins, just doing 3 or 4mph and his hand-brake did not work,” it was not like a road traffic crash there was no danger to the public when the crash happened he went on to say.
He also told the court that he doesn’t want to be disqualified as he has started working for himself as a window cleaner and needs his driving licence to work.
A video was taken by officers of the whole incident and shown to the magistrates.
Magistrates sentenced Haughan to a fine of £250 with court costs of £85 and a victims surcharge of £32, seven-penalty points were placed on his licence, the presiding magistrate said there was a crash and some speeding involved and they saw him running away from the scene on the video evidence.
