New year drink-driver wrote off his dad's van (From Worcester News)

New year drink-driver wrote off his dad's van

7:30am Thursday 17th January 2013 in News By James Connell

A DRINK-driver out celebrating New Year drove on the wrong side of the road, crashed into a car and a lamppost and wrote off his dad’s van before being aggressive to police.

Shaun Roberts, aged 26, of Durham Road, Ronkswood, Worcester, admitted driving offences when he appeared before city magistrates.

He pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis without a reasonable excuse, driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after a road accident on Tybridge Street and on Worcester Bridge at New Road.

Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, said a witness at the Old Rectifying House pub reported a van being driven erratically over the river bridge at Worcester in the direction of Castle Street.

Miss Lovegrove said: “While travelling over the bridge CCTV shows him on the wrong side of the road and he has collided with road furniture on the bridge, causing considerable damage to the vehicle.

“He later crashed into a parked car on the corner of Chestnut Street in Arboretum, Worcester. Police attended and found the defendant in the driving seat attempting to reverse the vehicle.

“From the start he was aggressive and obstructive towards the police officers. While at the station he refused to provide a sample of breath for analysis.”

Miss Lovegrove said significant damage was caused to his own vehicle, to the car he struck and to the street furniture, which she said was a lamppost.

During the incident he also scraped along a barrier on the river bridge, Miss Lovegrove said.

Sabhia Pathan, defending, said the Renault van he damaged was his father’s work van. Roberts joined a group of friends celebrating new year at the Pavilion, parking the van there.

Miss Pathan said: “He has demonstrated a high degree of candour and remorse during the interviews he has given me this morning.”

She said the vehicle had been written off and he will now have to pay his father to replace it. Roberts is self-employed as a block paver and is also a sub-contractor and told his solicitor he has four or five contracts pending.

Miss Pathan said these contracts would be in jeopardy unless he can find somebody to drive on his behalf when he is banned.

She said: “He knows that his behaviour was somewhat erratic.” She also said he had made large strides over the last few years in rectifying his previous offending behaviour.

Magistrates banned him from driving for 24 months and fined him £400 for driving with excess alcohol. For failing to stop he was fined £400 and for careless driving he was fined £265. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.