A young driver who hit more than twice the speed limit through a village and failed to stop for police because he needed the toilet has been handed a short driving ban.
Richard Garbarino-Danson, 20, was at the wheel of a Vauxhall Corsa at 10.15am on Monday, January 9. As he travelled on a 30mph stretch of road through Brisco, near Carlisle, the vehicle was clocked by a police laser speed recording device at 67mph.
He failed to heed a uniformed officer’s hand and arm signal to stop and drove off. An officer who had lost sight of the Corsa located it stationary on a grass verge near a highways depot.
Garbarino-Danson, Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard, exited his vehicle and started running. On reaching his home in Wreay he entered and locked the door behind him, preventing police from entering.
When the address was searched a short time later he was not present, but he handed himself into a police station just before 2pm. “I was going home for some bait and needed the toilet really bad, but that’s no excuse really, is it?” he said when interviewed by way of explanation.
He spoke of not initially seeing the officer’s stop signal, of being on a 15-minute work break and, explaining his decision to head home, said he thought it was the best option and then realised it wasn’t.
In court Garbarino-Danson admitted careless driving, speeding and failing to stop when required for a constable in uniform.
Tariq Khawam, giving mitigation, said the defendant had no previous convictions, hailed from a good family and was accompanied in court by his mum.
“She is appalled by his behaviour. He, too, is appalled,” said Mr Khawam.
Garbarino-Danson, working as part of a second year apprenticeship, was banned from driving for 28 days and handed a £536 fine.
Lead magistrate Nick Swinscoe said of his offending: “You certainly didn’t do yourself any favours at all.”
