A DANGEROUS driver who lost control of his car on a residential street in Maryport crashed into a house, partially demolishing it.

The terrified occupier was woken in the early hours by what sounded like an explosion as Daniel Whitehead’s Seat Leon car smashed through her garden fence, demolished her shed, and then ploughed through her kitchen wall.

The housing association which owns the house in Moorside Drive later estimated the repair costs to be a little under £86,000.

Whitehead, 36, of Pecklewell Terrace, Maryport, who fled the scene after the terrifying crash, denied driving dangerously, claiming that his car’s brakes had failed.

He was found guilty after a trial.

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined the facts. It was in the early hours of January 23 last year that the tenant, 61-year-old Julie Bower, was woken by a “huge bang”, said the prosecutor.

“She went downstairs and found a Seat motor vehicle in her kitchen,” said Mr Rogerson.

“The vehicle had collided with and demolished her outer garden fence before driving over a small section of grass and through the shed, demolishing it in the process, and then embedding itself in the gable end wall.”

Officials at Castles & Coasts Housing Association, which owns the house, had estimated the cost of repairs to be £85,799. The key concern for Ms Bower was the whereabouts of her grandson.

The seven-year-old had been at her property earlier that day but mercifully, he had left, though at the time the woman was not sure where he was.

“Mr Whitehead didn’t remain at the scene,” said Mr Rogerson. “Efforts were made to contact him and he told officers who asked him to surrender himself: ‘You’ll not find me.’ But he later agreed to hand himself in.”

Despite the defendant’s claim that his brakes had failed, a police examiner found no evidence that they were faulty. Though there was no direct evidence of speeding, the prosecution case was that this was why the car crashed.

The defendant’s criminal record includes offences of drugs possession, robbery, sending a threatening message, taking a car without consent, and drink driving.

Brendan Burke, defending, accepted that there appeared to be inappropriate speed but he insisted that it could not be described as “ludicrous.”

“He was going too fast for the 90 degree corner,” said the barrister.

At the time of the offence, the defendant was going through a temporary relationship breakdown, though he and his partner were back together. Whitehead had also got a full time job on an inshore fishing vessel.

Judge Michael Fanning noted Whitehead’s excuse for failing to stay at the scene to check on the welfare of those inside - his claim that he did not want to “face the anger” of the occupant.

The judge told Whitehead: “Imagine waking and thinking ‘What’s happened; where’s my grandson?’ in a complete panic. Your response to that was to look after yourself and run away and keep your head down.”

The judge said he was entitled to ask why somebody, with a previous conviction for drink driving, would not remain at the scene and whether he had something to hide. Judge Fanning said he concluded Whitehead drove inappropriately “through drink.”

“There is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation,” concluded the judge. He jailed Whitehead for one year and banned the defendant from driving for two years and six months. The defendant must pass an extended retest before driving independently.

Given the new sentencing regime introduced to tackle prison overcrowding, Whitehead is likely to be released on licence after serving 40 per cent of the one year term. 

The News & Star last year interviewed Ms Bower about the incident.

"I'd been sleeping heavily," she said, recalling what happened. "I started going downstairs and couldn't believe it. My fridge and freezer were in the hallway. Then I saw the car in the kitchen and then there was police and fire service here."

She recalled being "frantic" when she thought of her grandson until she recalled that he had gone home earlier that day. Ms Bower said it was hard to stop imagining what could have happened had she or her grandson been in the kitchen.

After the crash, she had to move into a two bedroom flat. Housing officials told her it could take up to 12 months for her home to be repaired to a standard where she will be able to move back in.