Boozed-up Boughton driver flipped car then had a lager and went to bed

A boozed-up Boughton driver flipped his car on to its roof, then walked home, had a can of lager and went to bed, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

Darren Hibbard went out to buy cigarettes after a night of heavy drinking, and hit a pothole on Newark Road, at 4.05am, on May 25.

A friend helped him out of his Vauxhall Astra and Hibbard walked off, said prosecutor Ann Barrett.

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“He told police he couldn’t really remember a great deal and can remember crashing, walking home. He got in, had a can of Fosters, and went to bed.”

He also took £15 of fuel without paying for it from the Shell garage in Ollerton, on April 30, she added.

Hibbard, 27, of Bentinck Close, admitted drink driving and making off without payment when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Wednesday.

He has a previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol from October 2009, for which he received an 18 month ban.

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Tim Haines, mitigating, said Hibbard, a married father of two, had recently lost his grandfather and had stopped taking medication to assist with alcohol issues.

He said Hibbard’s job in the demolition trade was in “significant jeopardy.”

He said Hibbard used the petrol station a lot and told staff he would return to pay, but simply forgot all about it.

Probation officer Sarah Alderton said he reached a turning point about his boozing while he was in custody.

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He had been sober prior for six months, was making good progress, and had not had a drink since the offence, she said.

He was banned for 46 months, but was offered a drink drive rehabilitation course which will cut the disqualification by 350 days if completed by February 2020.

He was also given a 12 month community order, with 80 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £85 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge, with £15 compensation to the garage.