Company director who crashed £100k Ferrari while drunk and high is jailed

A company director who wrecked his £100,000 Ferrari in a crash while drunk and high on cocaine has been jailed.

Darren Turner, 46, was nearly twice the drink-drive limit when he lost control of his Ferrari California in Oversley Mill, Warwickshire, on 23 July last year.

He shot straight across a roundabout and hit a lamppost before the luxury vehicle ended up on the wrong side of the A435 dual carriageway.

A court heard he had been travelling at more than 100mph in the flash red sports car, which has a top speed of 195mph, after visiting a pub.

Photographs released by police at the time showed the mangled wreckage of the Ferrari with its rear end badly damaged and wheels buckled.

Turner was taken to hospital and later breathalysed, which also revealed a reading for benzoylecgonine, an indicator of cocaine, more than nine times the legal limit.

He went on to plead guilty to dangerous driving and driving with illegal amounts of alcohol and cocaine in his blood.

Turner, of Kings Norton, Birmingham, was jailed for a year and banned from driving for four-and-a-half years at Warwick Crown Court on 29 October.

Sentencing, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said: “People think that offences like this don’t have victims, but they do. The victim is the public’s safety.

“The potential for harm to other road-users was enormous, you could have caused a fatal road traffic accident.

"It was aggressive driving across a reasonably long period, but one of the major aggravating features is your antecedents.

“Is there a reasonable chance of rehabilitation? Your past record gives me no confidence of that."

The court heard Turner, boss of Turner’s Pallets and Recycling based in Birmingham, narrowly missed an oncoming car during the crash.

Prosecutor Ryan Hodgkins told how he lost control and hit the central barrier, causing the front of the car to be lifted off the ground.

The other driver had to take evasive action as it bounced back onto the carriageway near the Oversley Mill roundabout.

Turner was injured in the collision and was given first aid at the scene before being taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.

The court heard Turner’s previous convictions included two for driving with excess alcohol, one for failing to provide a specimen and one for dangerous driving.

Patrick Kelly, defending, told how Turner had even purchased the £100,000 super car while he was drunk following the breakdown of his marriage.

He said that for 20 years Turner had struggled with alcohol and six years ago he took over the Turner’s Pallets business following the death of his father.

Mr Kelly told the court: "He does not have a great memory of that night. He took alcohol and cocaine, and then got behind the wheel.

"He should not have taken the car to the pub, and he’s fully aware of that."

Watch: What is greenwashing?