A provisional licence holder who left a trail of devastation as he crashed his mum’s car after a night out and caused around £30,000-worth of damage to vehicles on a Lake District street has been sentenced by a judge.
Callum Bateson-Turner, 31, appeared in the dock at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday afternoon following an incident late on September 3 last year.
Bateson-Turner had been out with his brother, the latter having returned to the Castlefield home they shared with their mother in Ambleside.
At that time Bateson-Turner could be seen by members of the public on an Ambleside street, injured after an apparent earlier altercation with three men in which he was knocked unconscious.
Speaking after the case was heard, his mum said he came in and changed his shoes, took the car keys and no-one could stop him. She said she called the police to report the theft instantly.
A number of parked vehicles had been damaged and the mother saw her Honda Civic further down the road which had clearly crashed.
Photographs captured the destruction. An insurance company stated there had since been £20,000-worth of claims, with an estimated £30,000-plus reserve having been set.
“The defendant only has a provisional driving licence,” said Mr Ball. “All the neighbours have had to make claims against (the mother’s) policy. She is the policyholder responsible for recovering those claims.”
Bateson-Turner, of Castlefield, admitted aggravated vehicle taking.
He had also provided a blood sample above the legal limit after the collision. But he did not face charges alleging excess alcohol and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence because these were not brought within a six-month time limit to which the Crown Prosecution Service must adhere, Mr Ball confirmed.
After considering mitigation, Recorder Kate Bex imposed a 12-month community order. This comprises 120 hours’ community service, and also an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and night-time curfew — both for 120 days. He was also banned from driving for a year.
Recorder Bex said it was the defendant’s great fortune he did not face additional charges following the incident. “My advice to you is that you will never be that lucky again,” said the judge.
