Man who drove 'like something out of a video game' on three tyres sentenced

A man who drove "like something out of a video game" has avoided an immediate prison sentence. Patrick Puszkin performed a dangerous overtake, knocking the wing mirror off another car, before mounting the kerb and then driving off with a flat tyre.

The woman whose car he hit followed Puszkin as he drove off from the scene with smoke spewing from the wheel with the punctured tyre. She got him to pull over in a lay-by, but he told her to "go away" and drove home, again followed by the woman.

Leicestershire Police was called and Puszkin, 34, was arrested. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

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At Leicester Crown Court on Friday he was sentenced for the incident, which happened at about 12.30pm on Friday, June 21, last year. Prosecutor Lauren Butts told the court that another motorist had contacted the police after seeing Puszkin driving "erratically" along the B6047 just north of Market Harborough.

The court was told that another witness, the woman who pursued Puszkin after his crash, later heard Puszkin's Vauxhall Astra coming up rapidly behind her on the same road, further north towards Melton. Ms Butts said: "The car was attempting to overtake in a dangerous manner. There wasn't room to do so safely."

As he shot past the woman, Puszkin's Astra hit her vehicle, knocking off the wing mirror and denting the door. As he swerved back into the lane, he mounted the grass verge with his two left wheels and then bounced back onto the road with damage to one tyre.

Ms Butts said: "She described it as being like something out of a video game." The woman followed Puszkin through the village of Old Dalby, by which time there was smoke pouring from the car, which only had three working tyres.

She managed to get Puszkin to pull over in a lay-by and she told him what had happened to her car and that one of his tyres was deflated. Ms Butts said: "He told her to go away, got back into his car and continued to drive, leaving marks on the road."

The woman continued to follow him back to his home in Avon Road, Melton, where she phoned the police. When Puszkin was arrested, he told the police the woman was confused because of her age.

The court heard that Puszkin had been banned from driving in 2017 after failing to provide a specimen after being suspected of drink-driving.

Fergus Malone, representing Puszkin, told the court: "It was stupid of him not to have stopped at the scene. He's a genuine guy, he looks out for other people and so forth. He would struggle in prison. He's unlikely to re-offend."

Recorder Adrian Jack, sentencing Puszkin, told him that the starting point for punishment for his offence was 18 months behind bars but that after deducting a third for Puszkin's guilty plea he could suspend the sentence. Puszkin was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years. He will have to do various courses with the probation service.

He was also banned from driving for three years. When the period ends in May 2027, he will have to complete and extended re-test before he can drive again.