Front seat passenger grabbed steering wheel during argument causing car to crash into garden in Larne
A front seat passenger in a car has admitted 'dangerous driving' after Ballymena Magistrates Court heard that during an argument he pulled on the steering wheel of a car driven by his partner forcing it to crash into a garden causing damage to a wall.
Craig Mulholland (37), of Greenland Parade, Larne, committed the offence at The Old Mill in the Pound Street area of Larne on Monday, October 21, 2024.
Police were called to The Old Mill and saw a Vauxhall Corsa which came off the road going into a front garden causing damage to a small wall.
A prosecutor said a woman was driving at Pound Street and her partner was in the front passenger seat.
The court was told: "They were having a verbal argument and he reached over and pulled on the steering wheel causing the vehicle to come off the road and end up in the front garden."
When interviewed at 7.10pm the defendant was asked if he pulled on the steering wheel and he said he "jerked on the steering wheel to the right" which "caused the crash to happen".
He admitted to officers it had been a "moment of madness which occurred during an argument". A defence barrister said it was "out of character".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said it had been "very dangerous" and the car "could have veered across the road into another car with a mother and father and two young babies or something".
The defendant was ordered to do 100 hours Community Service, banned from driving for a year and will have to sit a test if he wishes to get on the road.