A TAVISTOCK man has been ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work in the community, after admitting writing off a friend?s car following New Year celebrations this year. Plymouth magistrates last week heard Samuel Lawson, 18, of Mount Ford, had stayed the night with a friend on New Year?s Eve. The following morning, he woke his friend and asked for the keys to his car, intending to fetch something he had left in the vehicle the night before. But two hours later, he woke his friend to tell him he had crashed the car. The court heard that on the spur of the moment, Mr Lawson had driven to a local shop to buy breakfast provisions, but on the way had crashed into a parked vehicle and another car being driven by a veterinary surgeon. In addition to damaging the other vehicles, the court heard Mr Lawson wrote off his friend?s car. Mr Lawson, of previous good character, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and using a vehicle without insurance. Mr Lawson, who was said to be ?deeply ashamed? of his actions, was fined £100 plus £45 costs and banned from driving for a year. He was also ordered to pay £330 in compensation towards insurance excesses which the owners of the damaged cars had to pay, in addition to his community service order.
