Drunken Rawtenstall teenager stole defrosting car (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Drunken Rawtenstall teenager stole defrosting car

2:02pm Wednesday 6th February 2013 in News

A DRUNKEN teenager, who stole an air hostess’s car as she defrosted it, wrote the vehicle off after crashing into a row of parked cars.

Daniel Bowler, 19, also struck a signpost and was spotted driving erratically by an off-duty policeman before ploughing into the cars, two of which were seriously damaged.

He escaped an immediate prison term after being given a 16 month sentence, suspended for two years with 12 months’ supervision, at Burnley Crown Court.

The incident, which took place in Newchurch Road, Rawtenstall, on December 2 last year, cost victim Laura Sutton around £2,000.

Judge Beverley Lunt told Bowler, who pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking as well as driving with excess alcohol, no licence and no insurance, he was lucky to have kept his freedom.

Three hours after the collision Bowler gave a reading which showed 49 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his breath, above the legal limit of 35.

He was also ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work, banned from driving for a year, and told to complete an alcohol awareness course.