A MAN who caused £400,000 worth of damage after losing control of his unroadworthy car and ploughing into a property near the Lochans, setting it on fire, was jailed at Stranraer Sheriff Court on Tuesday for nine months.
No-one was injured in the incident, which happened last autumn, as the couple who lived there were on holiday at the time. The house is still not fit for occupation as much of the site is still contaminated after the red BMW involved struck and ign
ited an oil tank situated in the garage next to the house. The matter is still in the hands of insurers.
Colin Boyd (37), formerly of Glenluce but now residing in Ayr, had pled guilty at an earlier diet to driving dangerously, when knowing his car was not roadworthy, losing control of the vehicle, colliding with a garage at Strathgyre, West Galdenoch Farm, Lochans, causing extensive damage to the garage, the house and his car on September 24th last year.
He also admitted leaving the scene after knowing the accident involving his car had set fire to outbuldings at the property, to
driving without insurance and to failing to identify himself as the driver when asked by the police.
In mitigation, solicitor Jocelyn Aiken told the court that the accused had been at "a low ebb" at the time. He had relationship and financial difficulties and felt a failure. She added that Boyd had also been "self medicating" with alcohol.
On that particular night he was in an
agitated state and had been invited to a friend's house in Portpartick to talk about his problems and was on his way there when the incident happened. She said her client knows he should have contacted the police immediately after the accident and that it was wrong to leave the scene, adding that the accused was full of remorse for what had happened and the distress he had caused to the couple who owned the house.
When asked by the sheriff why he had
driven off in a car he knew had no MOT certificate, Mrs Aitken replied that Boyd was "in need of counselling" from friends and decided to go to them with "catastrophic consequences" for both himself and the
couple.
Sentencing Boyd, Sheriff Kenneth Robb said that insurance estimated the cost of the damage done at £400,000 and he told the accused the only good thing was that the
couple were not at home "when you came to call".
The sheriff added he was particularly troubled that Boyd had gone out in a car that was unroadworthy.
He said: "You caused damage, started a fire and then fled the scene so there is only one way I can deal with this."
Boyd was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, disqualified from driving for 18 months, ordered to resit an extended test, fined a total of £900 and had his licence endorsed.
