Teacher drove BMW into a farmer’s wall (From Craven Herald)

Teacher drove BMW into a farmer’s wall

8:00am Friday 4th January 2013 in News

A teacher wrote off her brother’s high-performance BMW after crashing it into a drystone wall near Gargrave, Skipton magistrates heard.

Lauren Jenkins, 26, from Sutton-in-Craven, borrowed her brother’s BMW 3 series car and took a friend out for a spin in the country.

But, in the early hours of October 6, she lost control on a bend as she drove along Eshton Road, the court heard.

The BMW ploughed into a wall, causing £10,000 damage to the car and more than £300 to the farmer’s wall.

Jenkins, who suffered a fractured left wrist in the collision, called her father to collect her and her friend and abandoned the car in the wall with the keys in the ignition and the lights on.

She reported the accident at Cross Hills Police Station at 9am the next morning – eight hours after the collision and after the crash had already been reported to police.

Jenkins, who admitted careless driving and failing to stop after an accident, normally drove a Volkswagen Polo.

In mitigation, John Kelly said Jenkins had taken the expensive, high-performance car for a drive at the suggestion of her brother.

“It was a powerful car and she, as we used to say, ran out of road and hit a wall,” he said.

Mr Kelly said Jenkins was hurt, she had written the car off, and so called her father for help, who took her straight home to Sutton.

“She was in shock, it was after midnight and Cross Hills Police Station is not open at night,” he said. “She went to the police station as early as she could and fully admitted everything.”

Mr Kelly said Jenkins had taken out a loan to repay her brother £8,500 and had just received a bill for £380 from the farmer who owned the wall.

Magistrates fined Jenkins, of Crofters Mill, £300 and endorsed her licence with six penalty points. She was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £30 victims surcharge.