A MAN who caused £25,000 damage when he stole a hire car and crashed it into the front of a house was ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work for the community.

Simon Cox, 21, of Woodlands Avenue, Rayleigh, had spent the evening celebrating the New Year with friends.

After returning to a pal’s home, in Hockley Road, Rayleigh, Cox took the keys and drove away a £13,000 Nissan Primera his friend had hired. A short while later Cox, who had only a provisional licence, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the front of Norman and Joyce Baur’s house in nearby Victoria Road.

Glenda Thompson, prosecuting, said the owner was left with a £25,000 repair bill after the front window and wall was demolished and the extension was damaged.

Mrs Thompson also said more than £4,000 damage was caused to the car.

At Basildon Crown Court, Cox was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years and a three-month curfew from 8.30am to 5pm.

Judge Ian Graham also also banned Cox from driving for two years.

The judge said: “Not only should you not have taken the vehicle, you should not have been driving because you had no licence.

“You effectively demolished the front of that house.

“Fortunately for them and for you no one was injured, although there were elderly people in he house asleep at the time.

“I am satisfied this offence and the consequences of it are so serious it must be marked by a prison sentence, but I will suspend it.”

Judge Graham accepted the offence was out of character for Cox and while he fled the scene, he handed himself in to police later the same day and confessed to what he had done.

Cox pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to aggravated vehicle taking, driving without the correct licence, failing to stop, failing to report an accident and driving without insurance.

Family critical at lenient sentence

FORMER driving instructor Norman Baur was asleep with his wife, Joyce, at the time of the accident.

The couple, both 77, knew nothing about it until a concerned neighbour knocked on their door.

Mr Baur said: “I don't think this sentence is enough.

“We watch people speeding around the corner and really it is a wonder it hasn’t happened before. We managed to sleep through it all, but we are rather deaf.”

His daughter Joanne Baur, 45, who lives in Rayleigh, said: “My parents did sleep through this, but it was a shock. It happened on New Year’s Day so it was difficult to get anyone to help us.

“I thought he was going to get a custodial sentence. I hope he is given something worthwhile to do.”