No prison for ‘boy racer’ who smashed into house

COURT: Multiple fatalities narrowly avoided as couple with new baby just 4m away

A boy racer who smashed into a couple’s house stopped just two body lengths short of causing multiple-death carnage.

Robbie Dow was told his out-of-control car stopped four metres away from where the shocked Dunbar family – who had just returned home with their newborn baby – were sitting in their home.

Dow lost control of his car at speed and crashed through a fence, across the garden, and into the family’s car before stopping against the living room window.

Sarah Dunbar said she and her family could have been killed in the incident and described Dow as a “notorious boy racer” who had terrorised a village.

Dow, 23, from Bankfoot, near Perth, admitted driving dangerously and at excessive speed before colliding with a fence, car and building in the village.

He admitted damaging all of them and causing fear or alarm to Sarah and Alan Dunbar when he crashed his 14-year-old Vauxhall Corsa on July 27 last year.

Sheriff James Macdonald banned Dow from driving for two years and ordered him to carry out 140 hours unpaid work as a direct alternative to prison.

The sheriff said: “This collision had the potential to have been a fatal one, with multiple fatalities.

“The complainers must have been terrified to see the unfolding events and they have sustained significant financial loss with the damage to their property.”

Fiscal depute Matthew Kerr said: “The couple returned home from hospital with a newborn baby girl. Mr Dunbar parked his car on the drive.

“At 9.20pm they were in the living room with the newborn baby, watching TV. They heard the sound of a car skidding. She saw the accused’s car smash through the garden fence.

“There was then a loud bang. The accused had taken out a four-metre section of wooden fencing.

“A trailer in the drive had been shunted. The accused’s car continued, taking out a large metal pillar, supporting the roof overhang.

“The accused’s car continued and collided with Mr Dunbar’s car and shunted it before another support pillar stopped it travelling further.

“Part of the fence had gone through the windscreen. None of the occupants of the car, including the accused, appeared injured.”

The court was told the cost of repairing the damage was around £6,000.

Solicitor Pauline Cullerton, defending, said: “It is very fortunate this didn’t end up in a more serious situation. There could have been fatalities here and thankfully there were not.”

The court was told Dow had not driven since the crash.

Mrs Dunbar said: “I was sitting in our living room. This boy racer, who has been terrorising the village for the past year, was travelling at full speed and crashed through our garden and nearly into our living room window.

“Had it not been for our trailer, he would have come right through the window. I had a brand new baby. She was right next to the window in her Moses basket when it happened.

“He also went right into our car, and because he was going at such a speed he moved it and crashed it into our garage. It was awful.

“We just heard this noise and we couldn’t work out what it was and then we looked out our bay window and saw the vehicle coming at us, it was so scary.”

The scene of the crash in Bankfoot, and driver Robbie Dow, 23, who has been banned from driving for two years and given unpaid work.

Dow has allegedly been “terrorising” the Perthshire village.