Pub worker drove boss's car despite ban (From York Press)

Pub worker Stuart Wood drove boss's car despite ban

8:20am Monday 22nd October 2012 in News By Megi Rychlikova, megi.rychlikova@thepress.co.uk

A PUB worker’s drive to collect a meal cost him his job and his liberty and may cost him his council home, a court heard.

After finishing an evening’s shift Stuart James Wood, 24, took his boss’s car from the Bumper Castle pub in Wigginton Road, York, to the McDonald’s drive-in at Clifton Moor and back to the pub car park, said Nick Adlington, prosecuting at York Crown Court.

But a police officer had to jump out of his way to avoid being injured. Wood drove the wrong way round a one-way system, did not have permission to drive the car and was supposed to be serving a three-year driving ban.

Wood’s barrister, Glenn Parsons, said: “It turned out to be a very expensive endeavour for him. He has lost his job, his liberty and could lose his accommodation.”

Jailing him for nine months, banning him from driving for another three years and ordering him to retake his driving test, Recorder Andrew Kershaw told Wood: “I am highly suspicious as to what was in your blood at the time you committed the offence. You drove as if you were drunk.”

But although Wood had spent the evening at a pub, there was no evidence that he was over the drink-drive limit.

Wood, of Charles Street, Selby, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking and driving without insurance.

Mr Adlington said Wood attracted the attention of a police officer in an unmarked car when he grounded his boss’s car in the Argos car park, Clifton Moor, causing minor damage. The officer followed him to the McDonald’s where Wood revved his engine and the policeman shouted at him to stop.

Instead, as the banned driver got into gear, the car “shot forward”, the police officer had to jump out of its way and Wood drove off the wrong way round the fast food chain’s one way system. After handing himself in three days later, he had no explanation for his bad driving in the Argos car park.

Mr Parsons said Wood had made a foolish decision to drive and bitterly regretted it.