A driver landed himself in the dock after travelling around part of a city with a shattered windscreen.
Stephen McDonnell was spotted by an officer behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Corsa in Newcastle's West End and he soon realised the vehicle was in a dangerous condition. The 59-year-old was pulled over and it was discovered the car's windscreen, pictured, was completely shattered, a court heard.
McDonnell, of Overfield Road, in Kenton, Newcastle, was charged with dangerous driving but pleaded not guilty during a hearing last year and his case was listed for trial last month. McDonnell claimed that the windscreen had smashed while he was driving and he was looking for the nearest and safest place to pull over.
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However, his claims were dismissed by a judge, who found him guilty of the offence. McDonnell was back at Newcastle Magistrates' Court this week for sentence.
Prosecutor, Niamh Reading, said a police officer was on duty on October 12 last year and spotted McDonnell in his Vauxhall Corsa at a junction on Stamfordham Road. Miss Reading continued: "The vehicle had a damaged windscreen directly in front of the driver. The officer stopped the vehicle and the driver identified himself as the defendant.
"The defendant said the vehicle had been damaged at work and he was taking the car to find a garage. The damage to the windscreen was directly in front of the driver. It was so severe that nobody could see the carriageway through the windscreen.
"The officer said he found it hard to believe that, had he not been pulled over, he wouldn't have continued to drive. He had every opportunity to stop."
The court heard that McDonnell had 37 offences on his record but hadn't been in trouble for some time. John Wesencraft, defending, said: "Mr McDonnell says that, as he approached the junction, his windscreen shattered and he thinks it was hit by something. He was at the junction and intended to turn left and into a layby."
Giving McDonnell a 12-month community order and banning him from the roads for 12 months, Deputy District Judge Andrew Teate said: "You don't need me to tell you how serious this offence is. I see you continue to deny the matter. I must, however, sentence you for the matters you have been convicted of.
"You were driving with a broken windscreen. It's not the manner of driving that was poor, it's because you were driving with a windscreen that was shattered and there was a real danger to you and others. Clearly, you should have stopped immediately."
McDonnell, who was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work, said he planned to lodge an appeal and his driving ban was suspended until the outcome of that application.
