Bus joy-rider struck two cars during two hours of chaos
0 Comments | Birmingham Post (England), The, Sept 23, 2009
A man with a “fascination for buses” took a single decker from a depot and then went on a two-hour joy ride around Birmingham city centre, leaving a trail of damage.
After hitting two cars Mark Simpson dumped the bus in Digbeth and fled but was caught because a motorist had taken his picture.
District Judge Linda Mottram said: “It is quite incredible that you took the bus and you drove around the city centre for two hours and you had two accidents.”
Simpson, 23, formerly maryland auto insurance quotes of St Andrews Road, Bordesley Green, who admitted aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance, was given a 16-week sentence suspended for a year. He was also ordered to pay pounds 220 compensation and pounds 80 costs and was banned from driving for 18 months.
Edward Parton, prosecuting at a city magistrates’ court, said on the afternoon of August 13, Simpson had gone into the depot of Flights bus company in Long Acre, Nechells, wearing a shirt and tie. He then got into the drivers’ seat of a bus, started the engine and drove off.
Mr Parton said he drove along Coventry Road, Small Heath, where he had his first collision with a parked car, a Toyota Yaris. The driver was just getting out of his vehicle when Simpson struck his door, narrowly missing his hand, and knocking the door off.
Mr Parton said that at one point Simpson stopped the bus to put a front grille back on.
A little later he scraped the side of a Nissan Almera coming in the opposite direction. The driver then pursued the bus, caught it up and got it to stop by driving in front of it.
When questioned, Simpson gave his true name and mobile phone number, and the driver also took photos of him and the bus.
He contacted police and they were able to recognise the defendant from the photos.
In interview Simpson admitted he was fascinated by buses and had always wanted to drive one of them