THE man who snatched a cab from the taxi rank at York Railway Station and crashed it on the A64 had escaped from lawful custody, it has been revealed.

Luke Dean Michael Kilminster, 31, smashed a window at York Hospital where he was being held on September 27.

He made his way to York Railway Station where he took a Ford Mondeo as the owner was helping a customer with her luggage.

As he continued his getaway down Tadcaster Road and headed west along the A64, Kilminster crashed it into at least one other vehicle on the dual carriageway and damaged the taxi.

Kilminster, of Elm Court, Helmsley, pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody at York Hospital and criminal damage to a window at the hospital. It cost £500 to repair the window.

He also admitted taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and that the offence was aggravated by him driving it dangerously on the A64 and crashing two vehicles.

He admitted he didn’t have a licence to drive the taxi and didn’t have insurance for his journey.

York magistrates decided the case was too serious for them to deal with and sent him to York Crown Court for sentence.

He will appear before a judge on October 23. He did not apply for bail and magistrates remanded him in custody.

They also banned him from driving until his crown court appearance. The judge who sentences him will decide the length of the ban. The taxi was taken just after 3pm on September 27. It crashed into another vehicle on the westbound carriageway of the A64 at Bilborough Top. Police who had tracked him during the taxi’s journey arrested Kilminster after the crash. An ambulance crew took him to York Hospital after he claimed he was unwell. He remained in hospital for a couple of days.