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A drunk partygoer stole a woman’s Mercedes before crashing it into a tree, fence and wall - causing thousands of pounds of damage.
Police bodycam footage shows the aftermath of the smash which left a trail of destruction in Reading Street, Broadstairs .
By the time the officers arrived on the scene, Lewis Fillary had already fled.
The 21-year-old, from Cliftonville, was later charged with aggravated vehicle taking without the owner’s consent and driving without insurance and a licence.
He admitted the offences when he appeared in court in January.
At the time, a pre-sentencing report was ordered and he returned to Margate Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to learn his fate.
Lucie Fish, prosecuting, said: “It was about 4am on Saturday, August 3, and police received a 999 call that a Mercedes Benz has crashed into a tree and then a fence and then a brick wall in Reading Street, Broadstairs.
“The driver ran away from the scene but was injured as there was blood on the driver’s seat airbag.”
The prosecutor said Fillary had been part of a group of friends who had gone back to the Mercedes owner’s home to order taxis after a night out in the area.
Ms Fish added: “He was part of that group and at about 2.30am he took her (car) keys without permission and left saying he was getting a taxi, but he drove off in it (her car) and left the scene.”
The court heard that after he crashed the Mercedes he messaged a mutual friend of the car owner saying he was sorry and would pay for the damage. He also sent a letter to her home conveying the same message.
The prosecutor added: “His phone number was on the letter and in interview he made admissions.”
The bodyworn footage from a police officer of the aftermath of the crash scene was then shown to magistrates.
Ms Fish added: “The car was written off. He admitted he’d been drinking and had been at an engagement party and had five drinks - which was a mixture of pints and spirits.”
The court heard the repair bill for the damaged fence was about £1,500. Another person’s wall cost £6,240 to repair.
Ms Fish said the Mercedes insurance had paid out for the written-off vehicle. However, after other costs incurred, the owner was out of pocket by about £2,100.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was a showjumper and that being without her car had led to her missing events and being unable to tend to her horse as she would normally. She was having to get lifts from colleagues and friends to get to work.
The incident had also seen her not invite friends to her home as she now had trust issues. She did not go out for two weeks after the smash as she could not escape questions from people about what Fillary had done.
Roger Davies, defending, told the court his client had moderate ADHD, which had not been diagnosed at the time of the incident, which led to impulsivity.
He said what Fillary did that night had indeed been an impulsive action by him while he was under the influence of alcohol.
Mr Davies added: “He’s well thought of and no one ever expected this (from him). Even he can’t explain it. It was impulsive, but is it not going to happen again.
“He’s going to make sure he learns how to control his behaviour.”
Magistrates were told by a probation officer that Fillary had no previous convictions and that there had been no incidents since he took the car.
The bench told him they had listened to everything that had been said, read the pre-sentencing report, and in their opinion, the offences passed the custody threshold.
As a result, they jailed Fillary for 12 weeks for the aggravated vehicle taking offence. However, because of his early gulity plea, they were prepared to suspend the term for two years.
He was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for a year.
Fillary also had to pay the car owner £2,100 compensation and £1,500 for the damage he caused at the crash scene.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and £85 court costs. He will pay what he owes the court at a rate of £20 a month.
He received no separate penalty for the other two offences but his licence would be endorsed.
