A DRINK driver who stole his mate's car left a trail of destruction as he caused more than £30,000 worth of damage to vehicles on a street.

Partaap Kalirai had been out partying with friends before lying to one of them to get the keys to his Range Rover.

Getting behind the wheel after spending the afternoon drinking a bottle of vodka, the 21-year-old, who does not have a licence, crashed into numerous cars and a bollard on Osbourne Road South.

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One witness said they saw "debris flying everywhere" as Kalirai swerved across the road just missing pedestrians using the pavement.

Southampton Magistrates' Court heard Kalirai, who was previously convicted for a similar offence in 2015, had left his friend with a £29,000 bill to fix the car after his "moment of madness".

Natalie Angel, prosecuting, said the warehouse operator took the keys from his pal once they had all got into Ninety Degrees nightclub, claiming he needed to get something from the car.

Instead, Miss Angel told the court, Kalirai struck a number of vehicles along the road before smashing into a bollard, which one witness said "was left lying on the floor with tarmac cracked around it".

Despite stopping after that crash, Kalirai then drove the car off again when confronted by people using the nearby pub The Dolphin.

He eventually abandoned the vehicle on the road.

When police were called after complaints from residents, Kalirai was said to be "smelling of alcohol" but he refused to carry out a breathalyser test.

Miss Angel added that Kalirai's friend had been left "devastated and upset" after being told the extent of the damage to his work car.

The court heard that Kalirai had struggled with alcohol issues for a number of years, as he had grown up with an alcoholic father.

Claire Wiggett, mitigating, said that Kalirai "deeply regretted" what he had done and was "ashamed" of the hurt he had caused.

She added that Kalirai was unaware of why he had got behind the wheel on June 24.

"Luckily for you, nobody was killed," District Judge Peter Greenfield told Kalirai.

"You are a dangerous driver and when on the roads quite a dangerous guy...I am mystified why you went on the road."

Kalirai, of Fitzroy Close, pleaded guilty to taking without the owner's consent, driving without a licence and no insurance, and failing to provide a specimen.

He was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years, including the requirement to complete 200 hours unpaid work within the next year.

He was also banned from the roads for four years and ordered to pay £85 costs and £115 victim surcharge.

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