A man stole his friend’s car and crashed it after she invited him to stay the night at her home.
Stephen Fill took the Mini Cooper from the address in Earlsheaton and damaged it as he then headed to Hull.
His victim woke up the next day to find the vehicle missing and a voicemail from police about the crash.
Fill appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Tues) where he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated vehicle taking, using a vehicle without insurance and driving without a licence.
Prosecutor Andy Wills told the court that on August 28 Fill turned up at his friend’s home in Frances Road unannounced and with four cans of cider.
He drank these and was later invited to sleep on her sofa.
At 10am she woke to find that the 30-year-old had left and her car vanished from the drive.
Mr Wills said: “She had a missed call and a voicemail message from police telling her that her car had been involved in a collision in York Road, Wetherby.”
The car had driven into the back of a BMW, causing £500 worth of damage.
The incident happened at just after 4am as Fill made his way to Hull and he fled from the vehicle across some fields.
Magistrates were told that Fill, of Kingston Rise in Willerby, East Riding, had previously misused alcohol and drugs.
He left from the house with the car after things got of hand and he feared being dragged back into his former lifestyle, they heard.
Fill was sentenced to a community order with 30 days of rehabilitative activities as a direct alternative to custody.
He has to complete a 12-week curfew and was banned from driving for a year.
Fill must pay £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge.
