A MARCHWOOD man was handed two suspended prison sentences for the aggravated taking of a vehicle while on drugs and other offences.
Appearing before Southampton magistrates, Paul Hughes (43), of Maritime Avenue, admitted taking a Ford Fiesta in Salisbury Road, Ower, on 3rd December, 2023.
He admitted the offence had caused injuries to four people and damaged a Volkswagen Touran and a Renault Trafic van.
Southampton Magistrates Court
Hughes also admitted driving while on cocaine and without a valid licence or insurance, and pleaded guilty to being in possession of a knife in Castle Road, Salisbury, on 15th January 2023.
For the vehicle offences, magistrates imposed a 12-week jail term, suspended for 24 months. Court paperwork noted: “The offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.
“This was serious offending (with a) vehicle taken from private premises and driven with no licence, no insurance and whilst under the influence of multiple substances/drugs (and was) involved in a collision with injury to others.”
Hughes was banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities.
For the knife offence, magistrates handed down a 16-week jail term, suspended for 24 months, to run concurrent to the other sentence. Magistrates noted this was also a “serious” offence, with the defendant carrying a “large knife…in public”.
The Bench ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the weapon.