A DRINK-DRIVER who took his former partner’s car without permission and flipped it after crashing into a wall has been jailed for 15 months.

Scott Leonard Charles Furlong was also banned from driving for five years after admitting to a string of motoring offences arising from the collision on 7 May.

The 41-year-old appeared in the Royal Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to dangerous driving, drink-driving, driving without a valid licence, driving without insurance and taking a vehicle without consent.

The Royal Court heard that police, paramedics and firefighters were called to a single-vehicle collision near the Rice Bowl on La Route de la Côte at about 6am.

Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said people in nearby homes heard a “loud screeching noise” and a crash before seeing the Ford Fiesta upside down in the road.

The collision caused what was described as “significant damage” to the front of the car and to a wall leading onto the slipway.

Furlong kicked through the driver’s-side window to escape before grabbing his rucksack and walking away. A member of the public, who said Furlong appeared “vacant”, stopped him.

Furlong told the witness that he “had somewhere to be”, but was told “you are not going anywhere. You have to stay with the vehicle,” the court heard.

He remained on a nearby wall until police arrived and admitted being the driver.

A breath test recorded 60 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

The car belonged to Furlong’s former partner, who had been helping him move belongings from her home to his new address.

She went to bed at around midnight after he had been drinking. When Furlong suggested driving her car, she replied: “No you won’t. You haven’t got a licence or insurance.”

During his police interview, Furlong said the couple had argued and separated the previous night. He took the car to move belongings and crashed while returning to her home.

He admitted having no licence, insurance or permission to use the car and said he still felt drunk when he woke that morning.

The court heard that Furlong received a four-year driving ban in 2017 and had not applied for another licence.

Advocate Taylor called for an 18-month prison sentence and a six-year disqualification.

Advocate James Bell, defending, said Furlong offered his “sincere apologies for his very poor judgment”.

He argued that all five charges arose from one incident and said Furlong had immediately admitted being the driver before making full admissions during his interview.

Advocate Bell described the offending as a spontaneous and “spur-of-the-moment” series of poor decisions.

He added that nobody had been injured.

In a letter to the court, Furlong wrote: “It was a reckless act. I’ve been thinking about what I’ve done since being in prison.

“This has been the most emotionally painful act as I was trying to form a relationship with [his former partner], but alcohol kept getting in the way. Now I’ve lost my girlfriend, my flat and my belongings.”

The court heard that Furlong had struggled with his mental health and had previously used alcohol to make himself feel better or block things out.

His former partner said in a letter that she believed he was beginning to understand that asking for help was not a weakness and that he needed to participate actively in securing a different future.

Delivering the sentence, Deputy Bailiff Mark Temple KC, imposed a slightly shorter sentence than the Crown had requested.

Furlong was jailed for 15 months and disqualified from driving for five years.