Boozy teen let pal drive and crash in Bassetlaw

Declan Reeves-Jones got into the driver’s seat of the car after the collision with two parked cars on Shireoaks Close, Shireoaks, on June 26, after a family get-together.

The court heard he has only had a full licence for about a month and had saved up for two years to buy the car, which was written-off in the crash.

Reeves-Jones, 18, Nursery Drive, Sheffield, admitted being drunk in charge of a vehicle, permitting the use of a vehicle with no insurance, and aiding the driving of a vehicle without a licence, when he appeared before Mansfield magistrates, on Monday.

His co-accused was banned for 12 months after admitting driving with excess alcohol.

Yvonne Wragg, mitigating, said the original charge of drink driving had been amended to being drunk in charge of a vehicle, after her client was given a breath test which showed he was more than twice over the drink drive limit.

She said the pair had been childhood friends, but Reeves-Jones “caved in”, and let his friend, who was drunk, drive. But the youth lost concentration and hit two parked cars on a corner of the road.

“He then got into the driver’s seat, panicking because his car was at a diagonal in the middle of the road,” she said. “But the vehicle didn’t move because it was so badly damaged.”

Ms Wragg said Reeves-Jones, who works part-time as a potwasher, had hoped to gain an apprenticeship in engineering, but feared he would now be overlooked because of the conviction.

“Had he not gotten back into the car we would only be talking about the no insurance and the licence offence,” added Ms Wragg.

Reeves-Jones was banned for six months and was fined £120, with £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.