A man who drove off without paying for petrol then shunted another car at a red traffic light before crashing into a garden wall has been jailed.
Adam Davies had taken drugs the night before he committed multiple offences in November, which have landed him in prison for seven months and lost him his driving licence.
Speaking at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, defence barrister Ieuan Bennett said: “He now realises he should not have driven the morning after the night before.”
The court heard the 21-year-old, from Swansea Road in Merthyr Tydfil, stopped at Cattles Garage in Pengam on November 9 and put £30.03 of petrol into the gold Toyota Yaris he was driving.
He was then caught on CCTV driving off without paying for the fuel.
Prosecutor Ruth Smith said he then sped up behind a commuter in a Ford Mondeo who had stopped at a red traffic light in Pentwyn Road in Blackwood.
He “shunted” the car from behind causing it to lurch forward several feet. The driver, who was on his way to work around 7am, said the defendant had shown no signs of slowing down and drove off on the wrong side of the road.
The court heard Davies then drove to Pontlottyn where a homeowner witnessed him mount the kerb before smashing into a garden wall.
He saw the defendant run away from the car, leaving an injured woman in the passenger seat.
Ms Smith said police officers had been notified a Yaris had been stolen and two officers spotted the car while responding to an emergency call in Danygraig.
They followed the car after the driver sped through a red light and subsequently found Davies under a railway bridge.
When questioned he told officers: “I have not been in a car.”
Fled from police
He later claimed his passenger had been driving at the time of the crash.
He also claimed she had threatened him by holding a needle to his neck to make him drive to the petrol station.
He accepted he had driven without insurance or a valid licence.
The court heard both driver and passenger were taken to the Prince Charles Hospital around midday where he was treated for an injury to his arm and she was treated for a broken nose.
The court heard that when they arrived at the hospital Davies shouted at two police officers “You ain’t f***ing having me” and managed to run away.
When they caught him in Forsythia Close he struggled and tried to bite the officers.
Drove for eight miles
Ms Smith said he had 10 sets of previous convictions including burglary, theft of a vehicle, and aggravated vehicle taking.
Mr Bennett said: “He has had a really difficult upbringing. He has been in the care system for some time.”
He told the court his client had taken valium tablets the night before the offences, adding: “He is now remorseful for what happened on that morning.”
Davies admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop after a collision, driving off without paying for fuel, driving without insurance or a valid licence, and obstructing police officers.
Sentencing, Judge Thomas Crowther QC said: “This was a prolonged course of driving – some eight miles.”
He added: “These offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”
Davies was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison and disqualified from driving.
He will have to pass an extended test before being granted another licence in the future.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-drove-petrol-forecourt-without-10762531
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