Car-washer wrecked rare Merc after swerving to avoid MOUSE
VALETER WHO HAD NO LICENCE OR INSURANCE TOOK CHERISHED CAR FOR 60-MILE SPIN WITHOUT PERMISSION
A CAR wash worker crashed a customer’s classic Mercedes he had dropped off for a valet after taking it for a 60-mile drive – later saying he swerved to avoid a MOUSE, a court heard.
Owner Kevin Murphy, 77, described the rare and pristine 1992 Merc 550E as ‘a cherished and prized possession.’
Omid Abas, 41, was assigned to give the vehicle a £30 ‘super valet’ but instead, the court heard he took it for a 90-minute spin from the car wash in Runcorn to his home in Stockport and back again, crashing it just five miles short of his return.
In police interviews Abas, of Colborne Avenue, Reddish, claimed the crash happened when he swerved to avoid a mouse in the road, a prosecutor said. The court heard thousands of pounds worth of ‘significant’ damage was done to the car.
Mr Murphy returned to pick up the vehicle – one of only 29 models imported to the UK – only to find it had almost been written off in the smash, with one wheel virtually horizontal.
Police inquiries revealed Abas had not passed a UK driving test.
In a statement, property landlord Mr Murphy said the 30-year-old blue car, which has around 26,000 miles on the clock, was usually chauffeur driven and added: “It was a cherished and prized possession. Every serviced piece of work was always done on it by Mercedes and I devoted a lot of my effort to keeping the car in pristine condition.
“When I learned of the damage I was incredibly upset. While I do not feel vulnerable or intimidated as a result of this, I am now incredibly cautious about who I trust my vehicles with. With regards to any other changes to my quality of life, I had to devote time to locate another vehicle to obtain spare parts from. This is a very time-consuming and difficult process. I am worried that the car will be a write-off. Currently, I am not at a loss as no work has been carried out but I expect to pay around £5,000 of my own money, not insurance, to have the vehicle fully repaired.”
At Warrington magistrates’ court, Abas pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and driving without a licence or insurance, and was banned from driving for 12 months.
A separate charge of driving without due care and attention was withdrawn. Despite the smash on March 13, Abas and Mr Murphy were said to be on ‘good terms.’
Angela Blackmore, prosecuting, said Mr Murphy had regularly dropped off his Mercedes at the Runcorn carwash, where valets can cost up to £60. The businessman owns the land where the car wash is based and did not consent to any driving of the vehicle ‘other than around the courtyard of where the car wash is,’ she said.
The car was said to have skidded ‘around 80m,’ zig-zagging onto pavements and grass verges before hitting a wall. Philip Green, defending, said: “He shows a lot of remorse and this appears to be genuine remorse. He is not employed at the same car wash but he was offered his job back. He has decided at this stage not to accept the offer of employment.”
Abas was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for a year. District
Abas was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £213 in costs and a victim surcharge. No order for compensation was made.