A learner driver fled after his car ploughed into a nursery causing structural damage.
Large parts of the Little Treasures Nursery and Pre-School in Spalding were reduced to rubble after Aigars Namsons’ car smashed into it, Lincoln Magistrates’ Court was told this week.
The 29-year-old only had a provisional licence and he fled the scene, but was caught after a member of the public was asked to keep a friend’s damaged car on their drive and told police.
Graeme Baker, prosecuting, told the court a witness had been alerted by the loud sound of the impact on Haverfield Road just after 11.30pm on December 28 last year.
The witness saw a car which had mounted the kerb and hit the nursery, being driven away, and noted the registration number.
Police attended the scene to be confronted with a trail of rubble but could not locate the car. Damage to the building was so severe that structural engineers from South Holland District Council had to be called out to make the building safe. Two walls had been moved by 90 degrees.
Police were contacted the following day and the registration of the car given matched the Mazda that had been seen at the collision.
Namsons, of Medlock Crescent, Spalding, admitted failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident to police within 24 hours.
He was sentenced to a two- year community order, banned from driving for a year and must complete 140 hours’ unpaid work. He also had to pay £110 costs and £95 surcharge.
David Eager, mitigating, said Namsons panicked because he had a provisional licence.
“Thank God no-one was in the building,” he said.
“Namsons believes the accident was caused by him skidding on ice.”
