Hebburn man stole and crashed his brother’s van while drunk
A South Tyneside man who pinched his brother’s van and crashed it while drunk has been jailed after showing no remorse or understanding of his crime.
Andrew Leonard, 37, was put behind bars for eight weeks after also indicating in a pre-sentence report to a court he had no interest in being rehabilitated.
He was led away from South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in handcuffs after District Judge Zoe Passfield said he had “shown absolutely no willingness” to change.
Leonard, of Highback Close, Hebburn, admitted charges of taking a vehicle without consent and drink driving at an earlier hearing at the same court.
His later sentencing hearing was told he crashed after drinking and swiping the keys and setting off for a pub to meet an associate.
Prosecutor Jeff Smith said Leonard smashed the VW Crafter motor into the walls of two houses, in College Road, causing a total of £5,000 of damage.
Mr Smith added: “After the accident, police arrived at the scene and Mr Leonard was waiting.
“Police suspected he had been drinking and he gave a positive reading for alcohol. This is high culpability.”
Leonard, who has no previous convictions, gave a reading for alcohol in breath of 82mcg. The legal limit is 35mcg.
Ritchie Rodger, defending, said Leonard had admitted in legal discussions to using cocaine for four years before stopping but starting again due to the stress of his crimes.
He also revealed the defendant drank eight pints of cider and two shorts a night.
Mr Rodger added: “What he said to me was that he had been drinking and his brother had left the van keys on a hook.
“He took the van to go to see someone in a pub. He crashed and waited at the scene.
“What he said to me and to the Probation Service is that he doesn’t want to be seen with these other defendants on community service.
“It’s not because he thinks he’s above it, but because he thinks he’d find it hard to deal with the work, in these circumstances.”
Judge Passfield jailed Leonard for eight weeks for taking the vehicle and to two concurrent weeks for drink-driving.
She also banned him from driving for 20 months and four weeks and ordered him to pay a £154 victim surcharge.
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