Man crashed dad's Mercedes into bus stop - then fled the scene by taxi 'because he wanted to go to bed'

Richard Holt, 23, of Hill House, Coast Road, Whitburn, crashed the Mercedes in Silksworth Lane, Sunderland, at 4am on Friday, October 4, a court heard.

Police found the motor partly embedded in the bus stop and the driver missing.

Prosecutor Michael Rose told magistrates in South Tyneside checks revealed the owner to be Holt’s parent – and his son quickly admitted the crime.

Holt has now been disqualified from driving for three months and must pay £1,185 in fines and costs.https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/

Mr Rose said: “There was an accident. A Mercedes car was embedded partly in the bus stop. It had to be demolished after being struck by the car.

“An extensive search of the area was done but no-one was found.

“The registration of the vehicle was to the defendant’s father, and that led to the defendant being shown as the driver.

“He said the reason for leaving the scene was that he wanted to get home, he wanted to go to bed. There was no other explanation than that.”

The court heard Holt was also found in possession of a small amount of cocaine in Sunderland on Tuesday, September 17.

Geoffrey Forrester, defending, said: “The cocaine is what it is. In terms of the driving, he accepts the circumstances as outlined.

“He tells me his insurance had expired the day before. There are matters on his record, but from 2015 he seems to have been obeying the law.”

Holt pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident, driving without insurance and possession of cocaine.

He urged magistrates to let him keep his driving licence due his long-distance job as an air conditioning engineer.

They refused, banning him for the fail to stop charge, for which he was also fined £500 with £85 court costs and a £50 victim surcharge.

He was fined £500 for possession of cocaine and must pay a £50 victim surcharge.

There were no penalties for failing to report an accident and driving without insurance.

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