A company boss has been jailed after smashing up his £100,000 Ferrari in a 100mph crash while drunk and high on cocaine.
Darren Turner, 46, was almost double the drink-drive limit when he lost control of his high-powered California in Oversley Mill, Warwickshire, on July 23 last year.
He darted straight over a roundabout and clattered into a lamppost before the supercar ended up on the wrong side of the A435 where it nearly hit another vehicle.
Warwick Crown Court heard he had been travelling at more than 100mph in the flash red convertible, which has a top speed of 195mph, after visiting the pub.
Photos of the wreckage show the Ferrari’s rear end smashed in and the front wheel buckled in on itself.
Turner, of Kings Norton, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving as well as driving while over the legal limits of alcohol and cocaine.
He was jailed for a year and banned from the roads for four-and-a-half years.
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.’
The court heard Turner, boss of Turner’s Pallets and Recycling based in Birmingham, narrowly missed an oncoming car during the crash.
Prosecutor Ryan Hodgkinss described how he lost control and hit the central barrier, causing the front of the car to be lifted of the ground.
The other driver had to take evasive action as it bounced back onto the carriageway near the Oversley Mill roundabout.
Defending, Patrick Kelly told the court Turner had purchased the £100,000 super car while he was drunk following the breakdown of his marriage.
He said Turner had struggled with alcohol for the past two decades and took over the Turner’s Pallets business following the death of his father six years ago.
Mr Kelly told the court: ‘He did not receive any counselling for that, and alcohol was not doing it for him, and he turned to drugs.
‘His wife had put up with the drink, but the drugs destroyed the marriage. The buying of the car itself was an act of stupidity.
‘He bought it while in drink, and was paying £1,600 a month. And because he was drunk, his insurance did not pay out.
‘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.
‘Since the accident he went on a spiral of depression. He got through that, and has remained dry and clean. He has learned his lesson.’
Mr Kelly added: ‘This was a night of stupidity. He apologises unreservedly for what he’s done. He should have known better.’
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