A Dundee drink-driver who left a trail of destruction as he crashed five times during a 10-minute wrecking spree was jailed for eight months on Friday.
Kevin McHugh, 29, hit the same car twice before smashing through a bus shelter and ploughing into a community centre and a Transit van.
He was banned from driving for 47 months after a court heard he narrowly missed pedestrians after mounting the pavement close to the bus stop.
The collisions happened on West Marketgait in Dundee city centre and Dickson Avenue, close to Ninewells Hospital – a distance of around nine miles apart.
Sheriff John Rafferty said: “As you must realise yourself, this was an absolutely shocking piece of driving which placed several members of the public at risk – serious risk.
“The risk to the public was clear and obvious and given the offence and your record the only sentence I can impose is a custodial one.”
Depute fiscal Christine Allan told Dundee Sheriff Court McHugh, of Mid Road, Dundee, had been out drinking for hours before the first crash at 10.50pm on February 22 last year.
Mrs Allan said: “Pedestrians became aware of the vehicle being driven in their direction. As he approached, he lost control, mounted the kerb and hit the bus stop.
“A pole at the bus stop had been removed from its housing, and ended up around 20 feet away from the bus stop.
“The accused continued driving on, 16ft to 20ft, before crashing into the security fencing around a community centre.”
She said he was still moving fast enough to drag part of the Menzieshill Community Centre fencing away before hitting and damaging a Ford Transit van and coming to a standstill.
McHugh was tackled by witnesses who realised he was drunk but he fled from the scene and was arrested by police later.
Solicitor John Boyle, defending, said: “There is a very long-standing difficulty with alcohol here. He undertook a detox programme.
“Unfortunately there has since been a relapse. He is not suitable for unpaid work because of his alcohol difficulty.”
McHugh admitted four charges, including driving dangerously on West Marketgait and Dickson Avenue, Dundee, and elsewhere unknown.
He admitted colliding with another vehicle on West Marketgait, causing damage to both vehicles, before refusing to exit his vehicle and repeatedly driving at the other car and colliding with it again, before driving away.
McHugh also pled guilty to losing control of the car on Dickson Avenue before leaving the carriageway and striking a bus stop.
He admitted driving along the pavement and hitting security fencing and a parked van, causing damage to all three.
McHugh also admitted driving the car without insurance and failing to report both the West Marketgait and Dickson Avenue crashes.
