A car wash worker who crashed a customer's Range Rover through a restaurant while drunk has been jailed. Naveed Rahman, 34, had been drinking spirits before he decided to take a ride in the £90k high-end car.
Rahman wrote off the Range Rover when he crashed into a van and the Alsager restaurant, Ey Up Duck. The owner of the car had no idea about the crash until he was called by the car wash, Prestige Bubbles, informing him that his keys had been taken and car involved in a crash.
Stoke-on-Trent Live reports how Rahman fled on foot from the driver of the van, who was delivering food to the venue, and another man. The pair located Rahman in a car park - sitting behind another vehicle - eating a snack.
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The restaurant was extensively damaged as a result of the incident and was forced to close for several weeks. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that when the police arrived, Rahman was "clearly intoxicated".
He was breathalysed and found to be five times over the limit. Prosecutor Tom Sherrington said: "The defendant was arrested and taken to hospital. He refused to provide a sample of breath in custody. He was not insured and he did not have a licence at the time."
The court heard Rahman has a previous conviction for drink-driving in the last 10 years which made him liable to a minimum three year ban. Rahman, of Woodshutts Street, Talke, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking; failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis; driving without a licence; and driving without insurance.
Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said Rahman was aware of the court's powers but he asked Judge David Fletcher to consider suspending the sentence. He said Rahman has been in custody since his arrest on June 15 and the last time he benefited from supervision from the probation service was 2012.
Mr Muldoon said: "He has abstained from alcohol since mid June and he is not in the same place he was when he committed these offences.
"At the time he was in a relationship that was ending. He was drinking to excess. His family were trying to help him. They run Prestige Bubbles as a family business. If they had been aware he had been drinking they would have sent him home immediately.
"He had gone into work in drink. He felt by going to work he would have some normality in his life. He was drinking spirits."
Judge Fletcher said: "This was a shocking piece of driving by you. You went into your place of work under the influence of alcohol.
"You caused serious damage. Alcohol is a clear problem for you.
"You were on that day a danger to the public. Thank goodness no-one was injured as a result of that driving. I do think you present a risk to the public."
Rahman was jailed for eight months and banned from driving for three years and four months.
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