THE dangerous driving of a banned Carlisle motorist left a woman injured and three cars so badly damaged they were written off.

At the city’s crown court, 34-year-old Jonathan O’Neil pleaded guilty to a raft of offences arising from the dramatic smash on Wigton Road on February 23, just two weeks after he had had been given a 40-month ban.

The two most serious crimes were dangerous driving and driving while disqualified. O'Neil also admitted failing to report the accident, failing to stay at the scene, and being uninsured.

Prosecutor Daniel Bramhall outlined the facts.

Police were called to the accident scene at 6.30pm, and discovered there were three badly damaged cars – including the defendant’s Volvo S60 – blocking the road, O’Neil and his female passenger having fled the scene.

The crash happened near to the junction with Westrigg Road, Morton. The defendant’s car was badly damaged to its front offside, with its rear offside passenger door almost detached and two wheels missing.

The officers noted that the car smelled of alcohol, and inside they found lager had spilled out of an open can.

In the centre of the road was an Alfa Romeo, with a smashed front windscreen and offside damage.

The driver, who needed physiotherapy after suffering whiplash and bruising to her leg and shoulder, told police she saw the Volvo moving at speed towards her as its driver attempted to overtake a line of cars.

She estimated the speed at 70 to 80mph.

It collided with her car, forcing it backwards, and hit another parked vehicle – a van - as it attempted to swerve back into the line of traffic. The transit van suffered massive damage to its rear.

Shortly afterwards, O’Neil was seen standing next to the crashed Volvo. “This defendant and the female ran in the direction of Morton,” said Mr Bramhall. All three damaged vehicles were written off.

Concerned for the welfare of the Volvo driver, police conducted welfare checks over the next 48 hours, attempting to trace the woman who owns the car. She later confirmed that it was O’Neil who was driving.

His DNA was found on the airbags.

“The defendant presented himself at Durranhill Police Station,” said the prosecutor. The court heard that he has 30 previous offences on his record, including three previous drug driving convictions.

Judge Michael Fanning described the offence as an extreme example of “grossly stupid driving.” He told O’Neil: “You were driving too quickly. You said it was 50mph. It was a stupid decision to pull out and overtake a stationary line of traffic.

“You were ignoring the rules of the road and disregarding the obvious danger to others...

"You didn't remain at the scene to check whether those people you collided with were injured. We will never know whether the can of alcohol in the car was being drunk at the time. That is an aggravating feature of this, as is your poor driving record.”

He jailed O’Neil for 14 months.

The defendant, previously listed in court documents as living at Creighton Avenue, Raffles, Carlisle, was banned for two years, with an extra seven months added to that term to represent the time he will spend in custody before his release on licence.

He will have to pass an extended retest before driving independently.