JAILED FOR TIPPER TRUCK RAMPAGE
Man lost control of stolen vehicle and smashed into five others in ‘appalling’ incident:
ADISQUALIFIED driver who stole a tipper truck and smashed into five vehicles has been locked up over the “appalling” incident.
The tipper truck and one of the vehicles were written off by Toby Humphreys, pictured, who caused damage worth more than £5,000 and was jailed for 15 months.
The 26-year-old, of Pensyflog, Porthmadog, admitted charges of taking the Transit van without permission and driving dangerously on the A499 and A487 during the incident in March.
He also admitted breaching a criminal behaviour order imposed by magistrates in November last year, as well as other driving matters.
In addition to the jail term, Humphreys was disqualified from driving for 43 months.
His ex-girlfriend Lehlanni Katrina Jones-Knight, 28, of Heol y Bedyddwyr, Penygroes, admitted being in the vehicle knowing it had been taken without consent.
She was handed an eight-month prison term suspended for 18 months, and ordered to attend 20 days of rehabilitation and carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Huw Rees said: “This was an appalling piece of driving.”
Frances Willmott, prosecuting, said the Transit’s owner, William Pritchard, had popped in to the
Co-op store in Penygroes, leaving the keys in the ignition.
CCTV footage showed Humphreys and Jones-Knight approaching the vehicle, getting in and driving off.
It made its way along the A487 to the A499 and was seen by other motorists being driven erratically.
Ms Willmott said it was swerving from side to side, hit a kerb, and forced one motorist to take action to prevent a collision.
At Nefyn, the driver lost control and collided with two BMW cars, a Suzuki Vitara, a Ford Focus and a VW Caddy, causing serious damage. The Transit truck was written off, as was one of the BMW vehicles, and damage to the van prevented a British Gas engineer from carrying out his work, the court heard. Referring to a psychiatric report, defence counsel Ryan Rothwell said Humphreys had significant mental health issues which had yet to be properly diagnosed.
Dafydd Roberts, for JonesKnight, said her relationship with Humphreys had ended and she had stopped using illegal drugs.