A HOMELESS young man who said he wanted to get out of Canterbury, took a double decker bus from a bus station and left a trail of wreckage amounting to thousands of pounds.

Lee Benbow had been drinking cider and smoking cannabis before he walked into the bus garage in St Stephen’s Road on October 9, started up a bus, hit another bus on the way out and drove down North Lane towards the Westgate Towers.

Benbow, 21, drove across the mini roundabout into the Westgate Grove cul-de-sac, reversed back out over the roundabout and crashed into railings hitting them with some force.

It was about 6.20pm and his manouvers caused considerable congestion before Benbow left the vehicle and walked off, telling some girls waiting for a bus nearby that a bus had crashed and there would be no service that night.

Benbow was follwed by a member of the public, Mehmetali Ayden, who left his phone number with someone at the bus garage who called police and when officers called Mr Ayden, he was able to say where Benbow was.

Benbow was arrested and committed by magistrates for sentence at Canterbury Crown Court for aggravated vehicle taking, excess aclcohol, driving licence and insurance offences.

Last Friday, he was jailed for 24 months and banned for two years by Judge Nigel van der Bijl, who said: "It is dangerous enough for pedestrians and others to be on the road with cars driven by people who can drive cars let alone buses driven by a person who really had no clue how to drive that bus."

Darren Weir, prosecuting, said Mr Ayden was crossing by the Westgate Towers traffic lights and saw the bus approach the roundabout.

When the bus stopped a member of the public spoke to the driver who got out, looked at the damage then walked towards North Lane.

Mr Ayden walked behind him, hiding behind trees as he did so, back to the small depot where he saw Benbow talking to a man in the bus park.

Mr Ayden tried to catch the man’s attention to say Benbow was the man who had taken the bus but Benbow saw Mr Ayden and casually asked him for a cigarette.

Benbow walked off and told the waiting girls about the bus crash. Mr Ayden followed him to Sainsburys.

At Canterbury police station, a bundle of Stagecoach tickets and a ticket roll from the bus were found on him. A breath test showed up 69 micrograms. The legal limit is 35.

He only had a provisional licence and no insurance. He said he drove the bus because he wanted to move on from Canterbury.

Damage to the two buses and repair to the railings was £13,490 and loss of earnings while the buses were off the road totalled £4,257.

Teresa Pritchard, for Benbow, said his life had been erratic and unfortunate but he had kept out of trouble for 13 months until October 9. While in custody he had been advised to attend Alcoholics Anonymous which he had done and wanted to continue.

"He does not want to go back to prison and the court may feel a return to prison will serve no further useful purpose.

"If he were to submit to the strictures of a community order, it would provide supervision for him," said Miss Pritchard.