A man who was banned from getting behind the wheel took his girlfriend’s car after an argument and drove it through a garden wall.
Paul Binsteed later told police he “lost his head” and had been drinking and taking drugs in the hours before he crashed the Nissan Quashqui in Maghull in December last year.
The 34 year old was part of the way through a four year disqualification for drug driving when he took the car.
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Joshua Sanderson-Kirk, prosecuting, said Binsteed and his then partner were at her home in Maghull on the morning of December 20 last year when they started arguing. The court heard he had been drinking and taking drugs over a number of days when an argument between the couple became increasingly volatile.
Binsteed’s partner tried to call the police but, as she did so, he took her car keys and drove off in her black Nissan Qashqui. He was only in the car for a matter of minutes before he crashed it into a garden wall on Hall Lane.
CCTV from a nearby home showed the car mount the pavement and hit the wall side on, causing bricks to be thrown across the road. No one was hurt in the incident and Binsteed could be seen looking at the car and then walking away.
Police later found the car and Binsteed was later linked to the incident when arrested for a different incident, with his DNA matching blood found in the car. He later admitted he drove the car and said he had drunk and taken drugs beforehand.
Mr Sanderson-Kirk said: “He accepted he had been in a heated argument with his partner and said he ‘lost his head’.” He said Binsteed became “quite emotional and remorseful” once he saw the video of the crash and later pleaded guilty to a number of driving offences, including aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and failing to stop after an accident.
The fact that he left the scene and could not be tested for drugs and alcohol so did not face criminal charges, however Mr Sanderson-Kirk said Binsteed’s admissions that he had drunk and taken drugs clearly increased the seriousness of the case.
Peter White, defending, said Binsteed had recently been jailed for a total of three and a half years for drugs offences and said he realised he would now face further time behind bars. The judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, said Binsteed’s actions could have led to disaster for others using the roads.
He said: “Having had a row with a partner, at 8.10am on December 20 you heard that she was calling the police, doubtless about the argument. As a result you took it into your head to take her car and drove it away. You did so knowing that you were disqualified from driving. You did so knowing you could not be insured.”
Binsteed, of Hornby Road, Liverpool, was jailed for eight months and will face a five year disqualification when he gets out of prison. His jail term was adjusted downwards to account for other prison terms he is also currently serving.
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