'Masterclass of stupidity' car crash man sentenced
A Manchester driver in a car accident trial has been told that his behaviour offered a "masterclass in stupidity".
The man, whose arm was in plaster because of a personal injury suffered in a previous road traffic accident, was found by police next to his crashed car in February. He told the police that thieves had stolen his car, and when they asked why the car was still next to him, he claimed that the thieves had driven very slowly, taunting him.
The officers did not breathalyse him, believing his claim to have drunk only one can of lager.
However, within hours the man called the police and admitted he had lied in panic, as he had been worried about losing the driving licence he needed for his work, and said he had been driving.
The judge accepted the man's change of heart, saying, "Within a short period of time after trying to convince everybody about the story, you had the good grace to actually tell the truth about what had happened."
However, he added, "It's perhaps one of the most stupid pieces of behaviour a court has come across."
The man's sentence, following the car accident trial, was for 100 hours of community work and 8 points on his driving licence.
*A replacement vehicle can usually be supplied within 4-6 working hours, where there is an admission of liability from the other person’s insurance company. If this person is not known, their insurance details are not known, they are uninsured or there is a potential dispute over who caused the accident, a replacement vehicle cannot be provided.
