Driver took 12 hours to report crash – and claims he 'can't account' for the lost hours

Picture: ROB CURRIE. (35503273)

A MAN who crashed his car into a wall on St Saviour’s Hill said he ‘can’t account’ for what he did during the 12 hours between the accident and reporting the incident to the States police.

Michael Martins’ car hit the wall on 18 December at 5.30am. During an appearance in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday he claimed he had had to swerve to avoid an oncoming motorbike.

Advocate Katie Ridley, prosecuting, said that his vehicle had ‘ended up on the opposite side of the hill’ and that the car had moved ‘approximately 50 metres’ after crashing.

The court heard that Martins pleaded guilty to charges of failing to stop and report the crash, as well as driving without due care and attention.

Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, told the court that his client attended the States police’s headquarters at around 5pm on the same day to report the accident.

Martins left the scene of the crash without his car keys, wallet or phone, which were inside the vehicle, according to Advocate Mière.

The lawyer added: ‘He can’t account for the 12 hours between the crash and going to the police station; he may have been suffering concussion.

‘As far as he was aware he went straight to the police station to report the incident. He was shocked that such a passage of time had passed.

‘Had he not been in such a confused state of mind he would have got to the police station sooner.

‘He has no recollection of the incident. He was going to collect his cousin.’

Advocate Mière added that if a defendant had been trying to ‘cover their tracks’ they would not have left their phone, wallet or car keys inside the vehicle.

The court heard that Martins had relevant convictions since October 2017. These, the court was told, included driving without due care and attention and failing to stop for a police officer.

The court also heard that he needed to be able to drive for his job as a forklift operator.

Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said: ‘There was no specific evidence of the speed at which you were driving.

‘You travelled for 50 metres after the point of impact; you cannot have been travelling at a low speed.

‘I don’t fully understand your explanation of how it occurred.’

Mr Harris banned Martins from driving for six months. He will need to retake his driving test at the end of that period.

Martins was also fined a total of £3,500 for both charges and will pay it at a rate of £200 a month.

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