Bolton stepfather and stepson caused 'bizarre' crash

Kyle Kinsella, 36, and his 20-year-old stepson Brandon Coop had begun the “bizarre” driving exercise after driving off from the car park at Morrisons in Bolton on July 29 last year.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Kinsella reached down to work the pedals, while Coop “sat on his knee” to work the steering wheel before the pair hit a parked car.

Prosecutor Mark Pritchard said: “The pair struck a vehicle which was shunted into a gate in front.”

Referring to video footage played to the court, Mr Pritchard added: “You can see how the two were arranged, with one say on the other’s knee.”

He said that the pair admitted to the damaged parked car’s owner that they had no insurance but gave their address and drove off.

Police then called at their home on Kirkhope Drive, Halliwell and the pair were arrested.

Coop, who has no previously convictions, was tested for alcohol and found to be over the legal limit, while Kinsella, who has four previous convictions for eight offences, refused to give a sample.

But brought before the magistrates court, both admitted to dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

The case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Coop also confessed to driving while over the legal limit for alcohol while Kinsella pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

Neither man was represented in court by a barrister, but Kinsella referred the judge to a letter he had written.

It said that he felt “deep regret and remorse” for what he had done, pointed out that no one had been in the parked car at the time and said he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Coop told the court he was “sorry that it ever happened.”

Judge Eliot Knopf accepted that both were entitled to credit for pleading guilty but reminded the pair of how dangerous their driving could have been.

He said they had driven in a “most bizarre and reckless way and an extremely stupid way.”

He added that Kinsella had “demonstrated a complete lack of sense or responsibility.”

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But Judge Knopf said that he could also see how they had realised this “in the cold light of day.”

He sentenced Kinsella to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He also hit him with a six month curfew, confining him to his home between 9pm and 6am and banned him from driving for two years.

Turning to Coop, Judge Knopf sentenced him to a 12 month community order and ordered him to complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days with 100 hours of unpaid work.

He also banned the 20-year-old from driving for 18 months.