A father who pulled the handbrake as his wife drove the family along a road on Carlisle’s outskirts has received a suspended prison sentence.
Marcin Rogala, 39, was a rear seat passenger in a Peugeot 307 during the journey on Brisco Road on the late afternoon of June 25 last year.
His young son was a front seat passenger.
During a row, Rogala criticised his wife and told her to stop the car.
When she declined because it was not safe to do so, Carlisle Crown Court was told he reached forward and pulled the handbrake, causing the vehicle to plough through a hedge.
Both his wife and son suffered minor whiplash-type injuries and were taken to the city’s Cumberland Infirmary.
The vehicle was badly damaged.
Rogala, of Cavaghan Gardens, Carlisle, later admitted interfering with a vehicle in dangerous circumstances.
After hearing personal information and that his life had changed dramatically for the better since the incident, Recorder Hudson suspended a two-year jail term for two years.
Rogala, a man in full-time employment, must complete 200 hours’ unpaid work and a rehabilitation requirement.
“You could so easily have killed your wife, your son, yourself or any innocent people travelling in an vehicle nearby,” said the judge, Recorder Abigail Hudson, as she passed sentence.
