A 22-year-old man who tried to take the rap for his mate has failed - but he avoided jail for perverting the course of justice.

Aidan Smith, of Shirley Mount in Gomersal, tried to take the blame for his friend Jack Haynes when he lied to police that he had driven and crashed a stolen car.

Leeds Crown Court heard that on October 24, 2016, a stolen black Volkswagen Golf hit a speed bump on Newsome Road South in Newsome and crashed into a lamp post, a fence and a garden wall. Thousands of pounds worth of damage was also caused to a Vauxhall Corsa and a Ford Mondeo worth around £2,000 was written off.

The car’s occupants, which included Smith and Haynes, ran off.

Jack Haynes

Shortly afterwards, Smith returned to the scene and when a witness pointed him out to police, he bizarrely claimed he had been the driver.

But DNA evidence from the airbag later revealed serial offender Haynes, who had only been out on licence for a burglary for two days, as the driver.

When Smith was interviewed he made no comment.

Since the incident, Smith served a jail sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

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He told his probation officer he found it ‘hard’ in jail and had self-harmed while there.

Now working in Poundstretchers in Huddersfield and expecting his first child with his girlfriend of three months, he also told his probation officer he wanted to stay out of jail.

Last month Smith pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and perverting the course of justice at a hearing.

He was sentenced to a total of 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

The court heard how he had acted out of ‘misguided loyalty’ to Haynes – who he is no longer friends with.

Newsome Road South

Recorder Michael Wheeler said: “It is very rare that perverting the course of justice does not result in an immediate custodial sentence but your actions to take the blame for Mr Hayne’s actions were doomed to fail.

“I take the view it was a poor and rather half-hearted attempt to take the blame for Mr Haynes considering he had just come out of prison.”

Last Wednesday, Haynes, who was already in prison, was sentenced concurrently to 12 months’ imprisonment for handling stolen goods and eight months’ imprisonment for dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for 18 months.