A suicidal man who deliberately smashed his car through railings after speeding through a red light has been jailed after he narrowly avoided a ‘catastrophe’.
Richard Kelly was travelling so fast that his Ford Puma crashed into the wall of the Hippodrome theatre in Darlington town centre during rush-hour traffic whilst intoxicated.
The 47-year-old was given a suspended prison sentence two days earlier after he was caught driving with a knife in his car in another attempt to take his own life.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the ex-member of the armed forces had been struggling with his mental health while suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Elisha Marsay, prosecuting, said when police searched Kelly’s car following the crash they discovered a number of empty beer cans and when he was taken to hospital, he was unable to give a sample for analysis for drink driving.
She added: “On Park Place, he didn’t make any attempt to slow down, he drove through a red light and narrowly missed a car turning right.
“The car smashed through the railings and hit the Hippodrome theatre.”
Kelly, of Bourne Court, Darlington, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after the crash on March 3 this year.
Nigel Soppitt, mitigating, said his client had suffered from significant mental health problems and had made a number of attempts to take his own life.
He added: “This is a man who has tried to end his life on a number of occasions but it will provide no comfort for other drivers on that particular day.
“This was to be his swansong. He has stopped behaving that way during his remand in custody.”
Judge Richard Bennett told the defendant that he was lucky that his driving had not resulted in a ‘catastrophic’ accident as he jailed him for 12 months.
He said: “It is highly fortunate that no pedestrians were in your path.
“It was only pure chance that a pedestrian was not walking past at that particular times.
“The impact could have been catastrophic. If anyone had been in your path, I have no doubt that they would have been killed.”
Kelly was also banned from driving for 16 months.
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Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Detective Inspector David Bailey, of Durham Constabulary, said: “Kelly’s behaviour that day was utterly reckless – he drove at excessive speeds and straight across a busy junction without any thought for other road users or pedestrians.
“It is only by sheer luck that nobody else was injured as a result of his actions.
“If he had chosen to commit this offence only moments before, several people would have been seriously injured or even killed as a result of his actions.
“I am pleased he has admitted his guilt and can reflect on the consequences of his careless behaviour while he is behind bars.”
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