Banned drink driver blows chance to stay out of jail by breaking into a Bristol flat

A banned drink driver who crashed into neighbours’ gardens was given a chance to save up compensation and prove he could stay out of trouble. But instead he went out and burgled a flat.

In March, Bristol Crown Court heard Matthew Ashenden ploughed his work van through two back gardens and into a shed and claimed he confused the accelerator for the brake. He conceded he drank on New Year’s Eve and into New Year’s Day and was intoxicated at the time and had breached a suspended sentence.

Ashenden, 39, of Bourneville Road in Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, driving with excess alcohol and without insurance on January 1 this year. But, after a judge gave him three months to start saving for compensation and stop offending, in May he admitted burgling a student flat in Bristol.

Also read: Drunken roofer chased through town centre by posse

Today (June 14), Judge Euan Ambrose jailed him for 20 months and banned him from driving for three years and 10 months. He told Ashenden: “You are remorseful.

“You were remorseful on the last occasion. Remorse does not seem to offer protection against further offending.”

Charlotte Evans, prosecuting, said residents in Bourneville Road heard bangs from their back gardens around 1.30pm on New Year’s Day. When they investigated it transpired Ashenden had slammed his work Citroen Berlingo van through fences over two gardens and crashed into a shed.

Miss Evans told the court a “dazed and agitated” Ashenden admitted to people who arrived at the scene that he had put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake. When police arrived at the scene Ashenden initially gave them a false name before failing a roadside breath test, the court heard.

He was arrested and taken into custody and another breath test revealed he had 48 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 35.

The court heard the garden owners were left devastated by destruction caused. In all the damage was put at some £5,000.

Having had sentence deferred, Ashenden was then with an accomplice when they burgled flats in St Philips, the court heard. Ashenden helped himself to a laptop computer, charger, games mouse and handbag containing a debit card and the householder was left shaken and violated.

Joseph Broadway, defending, said his client had been engaging with probation and alcohol addiction charity We Are With You. But, after arguing with his partner, Ashenden had stayed with a friend, took drink and drugs and reoffended.

Mr Broadway said: “He is incredibly remorseful. He feels very bad about the impact on the victim.

“He can’t believe its him that did it. He completely understands the impact on someone.”

Sign up for our new Bristol’s Court Insider newsletter for the latest court and crime news – from arrests to trials and sentencings.

READ NEXT: