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30-mile Wakefield bus havoc woman spared jail
A woman who got behind the wheel of a stolen bus, causing chaos across Wakefield, Dewsbury and Batley, has escaped jail.
Sarah Smith, 20, of Duke of York Avenue, in Wakefield, was handed a nine month sentence suspended for two years yesterday.
She had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance.
Smith was onboard a stolen single-decker Arriva bus that ploughed into cars, road signs and buildings after it was taken by Shane Oldroyd, 27, on August 16 last year, Leeds Crown Court heard.
The pair boarded the empty bus at Union Street Station in Wakefield and planned to hide at the back to avoid paying the fare but Oldroyd soon realised it could be started at the push of a button.
It then set off on a 30 mile trail of destruction across the area causing around 250,000 worth of damage before coming to a halt on the M1.
Smith claimed to have driven the bus on the 'mad mile' for only about 10 minutes near Ossett and the court heard that she had only hit the curb once.
Sentencing Judge Kerry MacGill said: "This was a disgraceful piece of behaviour on your part.
"You claim that you were driving reasonably confidently and don't have a proper driving licence or insurance and no experience of driving a bus like this whatsoever.
"Your claim that you saved lives was just nonsense really."
He added: "I accept that you have had on-going problems since 2008 but there are no excuses for committing offences like these.
"Once Shane Oldroyd started the bus and drove off you knew what was going on."
At an earlier hearing Oldroyd, of Bridle Lane, Gawthorpe, Wakefield, was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection, with a minimum tariff of seven years.
He had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence, no insurance, driving over the alcohol limit and failing to stop after an accident.
Graphic images shot from a police helicopter were shown to the court to highlight the trail of damage that was caused.
Prosecuting, Simon Haring said that Smith said she had only "borrowed" the bus for a day.
He added: "She grabbed the wheel on occasions when Oldroyd was driving. She said that she had saved quite a few people's lives.
"There was no footage of her driving and the pair had swapped the wheel while the bus was still moving."
Mitigating, Robert Casey said that a doctor's report described her as vulnerable and as having "dull intelligence".
He added:"The fear and panic of what was happening and by not having got off the bus she accepts that she played a part in this incident."
She was given a two-year supervision order, disqualified from driving for 18 months and given six points for having no insurance.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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