A drunken motorist crashed his Honda Civic into three parked cars after being dumped by his girlfriend, a court heard.

Aaron Salt’s drunken ride ended in Corporation Road, Gillingham, and people living in the street said it was pure luck no one was injured after he wrecked several parked cars. Even Salt admitted it was lucky he did not kill anyone.

The 23-year-old of Mount Road, Chatham, hit three vehicles and mounted the pavement before stopping at a front garden wall.

He’d had several drinks in a pub earlier on Christmas Eve and was three times the limit.
Two vehicles were thought to be written off and another was left with serious damage.

The owners of the cars, which included a Ford Focus, a Fiesta van and an Astra, ran out into the street and told Salt to sit on a step until the police arrived. He was heard saying he should not have driven the car and that he was lucky he never killed anyone.

At the time, the owners told the Messenger the smash had ruined their festivities.
Salt, who works for a printing firm, was arrested after being giving a breath test where he gave a reading of 116 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

He admitted drink-driving when he appeared at Medway Magistrates’ court this week.

Natalie Brown, defending, said her client was sorry and that he was suffering from depression, adding: “It was out of character for him.

“He had separated from the mother of his two children and he thought they were going out for a drink to get back together. However, she decided to end it and stay with the boyfriend she’d met in the weeks they had been separated.

“He thought they were going to be reconciled as they had no ongoing issues, it was a shock to him. He stayed at the pub and had a couple more drinks. He was not thinking clearly. He was clearly very reckless – it’s not behaviour he is proud of.”

Magistrates banned Salt from driving for two years and ordered he complete a drink-driver rehabilitation course. They also ordered he be supervised by probation for nine months and was ordered to pay £85 court costs.

Chairman of the bench, Leslie Watson, said: “You pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, however, you were well over the limit.”

One of the victims, Nigel Cocup, 49, whose fiancee has been battling cancer, was not impressed with Salt’s explanation in court, he said: “I am shocked. I am currently off sick with depression and on medication.

“If he wants to know what stress and depression is, he wants to try living our life.
“We’ve had all this stress, but we’ve not been hitting the alcohol and never would, it’s not a fix. He didn’t even have the decency to look at us and apologise, the solicitor did it for him.”

At the time of the crash, neighbour Paul Rayner, 29, who had two vehicles damaged, said: “It ruined our Christmas. We were going to my parents for the day, but couldn’t because we couldn’t get there.”