A MAN wrote off his landlord's car "by crashing into a bin" just weeks after appearing in court for taking it without permission, a court heard.

Lennox Hale's landlord allowed him to stay at the home he had been lodging unaware this would be in brach of his bail conditions.

But when he left his car keys on the sideboard before going to sleep, he woke up the next morning to find his garage door damaged, and his silver Volvo written off.

Prosecuting, Rachel Bailey told Southampton Crown Court the side wing of the car had been completely ripped back with a red mark on the front number plate.

There were also multiple dents and a scrape on the rear door.

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After receiving a call from his landlord, who had become suspicious, Hale admitted taking the car and crashing into a bin.

The 21-year-old only had a provisional licence at the time and was awaiting sentencing for a similar offence dating back to January 6.

On this day, Hale took his landlord's car and bank card without consent, drove to a Co-Op store and spent £12.30.

No damage was done to the vehicle on this occasion but upon returning, Hale told his landlord, and later police, that his cousin had taken the car.

He even made a witness statement continuing to blame his cousin and claiming he had taken it off him upon catching him in the act.

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Hale was sentenced on Friday after appearing in court on June 8 for the first set of offences.

He pleaded guilty to trying to pervert the course of justice, fraud, taking a conveyance without authority, using a car without third-party insurance, and driving otherwise in accordance with a licence.

For the second incident on June 23, he admitted to aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

Mitigating, Keely Harvey said Hale “knows that he had messed things up for himself” and is “still trying to come to terms with why he acted impulsively as he did”.

She added that Hale lacks maturity and that he had crashed the car into "street furniture" because he was wearing flip-flops and his foot had slipped.

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However, she asked the court to give him “one final chance” adding that the last month which he spent on remand had been a “wake-up call”.

But judge, Peter Henry said: “You were on trust as it were. And what do you do first of all? You go to (the victim's) house in breach of your bail conditions.

“He extended you his good faith and you repay him by again taking his car.”

Hale, of Hamtun Street, Southampton was jailed for 10 months suspended for two years and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out an alcohol monitoring requirement for 20 days, complete 30 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay £1,200 in compensation to his victim.