"He panicked!" - South Tyneside teen told he was going to be a dad took drugs and crashed car into taxi
Drug-taking teen who crashed his car into a taxi outside Asda’s Boldon Colliery store was careless because he’d just heard he was going to be a dad, a court was told.
A South Tyneside teenager who used drugs to ease his shock at being told he was to become a dad vanished but not without trace when he crashed into a taxi.
Lennon Wilkinson, 18, of Hindmarch Drive, West Boldon, turned to cannabis at the news and then drove carelessly into the cabbie outside Asda’s Boldon Colliery store.
He left his victim scratching his head as to his whereabouts when he got out and found him not there on Saturday, January 10.
Borough magistrates were told police later located Wilkinson in a nearby cinema’s car park, where he admitted to being the offending driver.
A blood test proved he had used cannabis, leading him to plead guilty to a charge of drug driving.
Wilkinson, who is in employment and has no previous convictions, also admitted driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after an accident.
Prosecutor Yasmine Dodd said: “A taxi driver was in his vehicle and approaching the roundabout outside Asda on New Road.
“He came around the roundabout and collided head on with another vehicle.
“The taxi driver approached the defendant’s vehicle and found no one in it. Police found him in the car park of the Boldon cinema.
“He said that it was his car, and a roadside breath test was conducted, and he failed a drug swipe.
“He is a man of previous good character, so that goes to his credit today. It’s a disqualification of 17 to 28 months.
“He was involved in a collision and the offence is aggravated by him failing to stop as well.”
Wilkinson gave a reading in blood for cannabis breakdown product THC of greater than 9.8mcg. The legal limit is 2mcg.
Syed Ahmed, defending, told magistrates: “Guilty pleas are tendered at the first available opportunity.
“At the time of the incident, he had found out that he was to become a father.
“He’s taken that news very badly and has taken drugs and gone out in his vehicle and collided with another vehicle. He panicked and left the scene.
“I think this is an opportunity for the Probation Service to do some background checks before you sentence.”
Magistrates imposed an interim driving ban and adjourned the case for reports ahead of sentencing at the same court on Thursday, July 16.