A woman refused help from concerned locals before driving off having crashed her car into a cottage near Calne, a court heard.
28-year-old Laura Speakman, of no fixed abode, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident with 24 hours and driving without insurance.
It was the Crown’s case that the defendant collided with Flower Cottage in Stockley Lane at around 6pm on 14 June last year. This attracted several witnesses who then when to assist those in the vehicle – a Peugeot 206.
It was found Speakman was the driver and the sole occupant of the car. When she was offered help by locals, she refused and left the scene by driving away. As she drove away, witnesses took note of the car’s registration plate.
Police managed to trace the vehicle to the defendant and she was interviewed.
The court heard the crash caused minor damage to the home, along with damage to hedges and a wall.
The prosecutor said Speakman should have provided her personal information at the scene or reported to a police station in person within 24 hours of the collision – she did neither. This was attributed to the fact she was an uninsured driver.
She admitted the three offences.
Mr Collins, defending, said his client had previous motoring matters on her record which have been dealt with. Speakman was disqualified from driving in November 2020 due to an accumulation of points on her driving licence.
He said she accepts that the police would want to breathalyse anyone who crashes into a house, on the face of it.
“She has a support worker helping her address drug issues and is registered as homeless currently, hoping to get accommodation soon”, he commented.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be compiled. Speakman will return to court next month for sentencing.
