A 26-year-old Dundee man who crashed his car into a house in a busy residential street had sentence deferred to allow him to “get his affairs in order” in anticipation of a jail sentence.
Solicitor Jim Laverty, for Steven Shepherd of Spey Drive, asked that sentence be deferred for reports, asking for six weeks as “the defence may have some difficulty in persuading the court there should be a non-custodial disposal and that would enable Mr Shepherd to make arrangements. He has a young baby.”
Shepherd admitted that on September 5, on various roads including Buttars Loan, Kingsway West, Myrekirk Road, South Road, Mallaig Avenue, Spey Drive, Charleston Drive and Ancrum Road, he drove without insurance and while disqualified.
He also admitted driving dangerously at excessive speed within the residential streets, overtaking numerous other vehicles, failing to comply with keep left bollards, driving on the opposing carriageway causing oncoming vehicles to swerve to avoid a collision, lose control of the car and collide with a house and another vehicle, causing damage to both cars and the house and injury to himself.
Mr Laverty told the court reports would be mandatory and, as there was no prepared written narrative available for the court to hear the circumstances, he asked that the case be continued for an agreed written narrative between the defence and the Crown and for the reports to be prepared.
Sheriff McGowan deferred sentence until March 12 and continued Shepherd’s bail.
On the day Shepherd’s silver Renault Clio also collided with a parked Mercedes Sprinter van. He was taken to Ninewells Hospital as a precaution.
The area around the collision site was closed while a minor gas leak at the premises was repaired and to allow crash investigators to carry out their inquiries.
Householder Joe McGeary, 27, said: “I was sitting in the living room and heard the sirens. Then there was a big screech then a bang. The first thing I thought was that my dad’s van had been hit.”
He said he looked out to see police smashing the window of a Renault Clio car and pulling out the driver.
“I went outside and there was a crushed up Renault Clio in the side of the house.”