An off-duty soldier has been sentenced for crashing his car into a parked vehicle after travelling at more than twice the speed limit and drinking.
Police were alerted to a collision on residential Pategill Road in Penrith just after midnight on September 5.
They found a black Ford Fiesta with heavy front impact damage after it had careered into a stationary SUV which had been shunted several feet.
Fiesta driver Dylan Toft, 19, identified himself as the car owner and spoke of travelling at “45-50mph” on a road governed by a 20mph limit.
He failed a breath test and was arrested, but was later deemed to be under the legal limit.
Toft also had passengers in the car. Prosecutor George Shelley told Carlisle magistrates’ court today: “When a police officer looked into the car, there was an alcohol can and a bottle of wine in the footwell.”
An independent witness became aware of Toft’s vehicle travelling at speed and heard a “loud bang”.
Her partner urged the teen to switch off the ignition “due to smoke and fluids coming from the car”
Toft, of Carleton Meadows, Penrith, admitted dangerous driving.
Jeff Smith, defending, confirmed he was a serving soldier based at Catterick with no previous offences to his name.
Character references had been provided. An officer had accompanied him to court.
He was, said Mr Smith, “terribly sorry”. Any driving ban over the mandatory 12 months would impact on his career in the army.
Magistrates imposed a year-long community order comprising 140 hours’ unpaid work, and a 13-month driving ban.
Presiding magistrate Chris Drouet told the teen his offence was extremely dangerous.
“It could have resulted in far worse than just another vehicle being damaged. This could have been a far worse event,” said Mr Drouet. “You could have gone to custody for this. Hopefully you’ve learned a significant lesson.”
