'Extraordinary set of events' led to two cars ploughing into Corby back gardens

Two men who didn’t know each other were involved in a car crash at a busy Corby T-junction which saw both of them driving their cars into the rear gardens of houses.

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking, sitting at Northampton Crown Court, described the situation as an ‘extraordinary set of events’.

Derek Taylor of Constable Road, and Kenny Reynolds, of Lapland Walk, both admitted charges of dangerous driving on Tuesday (April 23).

The court heard details of a bizarre incident that left two homes in Baltic Close with serious damage to their fences, gardens and a garage following the crash in June last year.

Prosecutor Dean Easthope said the men had originally been accused of racing each other but the only person who could attest to the manner of their driving had declined to appear as a prosecution witness, so the crown accepted a plea of guilty from both men on the basis they had not been racing.

Reynolds, 48, said that when he was driving along Gainsborough Road and when he came to the Danesholme Road junction his foot was stuck under the brake pedal and he accidentally accelerated across the junction, before swerving to avoid an oncoming car and into a rear garden of a home in Baltic Close. He then left the scene and ran off towards Oakley Road.

Reynolds is an HGV driver who has had a clean licence for more than 30 years and had only bought his BMW 320 the month before the crash. On the evening in question he had been out looking for his daughter who had not returned home.

The court was told that Taylor, 47, remembers being behind the wheel of his red Ford Focus, following Kenny Reynolds to the end of Gainsborough Road, before he went across the junction and crashed his car into a second garden in Baltic Close. He then reversed and left the scene in the same direction as Reynolds.

Mr Easthope said: “Mr Reynolds says he was not racing Mr Taylor’s car and that before attempting to brake was only travelling at 30mph. He was not going at 60mph.”

The occupants of the house heard a bang before they went outside to see what had happened. There was serious damage to the rear fences, garden furniture and a garage. The full cost is not yet known but it could be up to £30,000 which will have to be the subject of a civil court claim.

The court was told that both men had a handful of previous convictions.

Taylor works as a self-employed builder during the week and on the HS2 project at the weekends. He will lose much of his work as a consequence of a driving ban. The court heard that he left the scene in ‘sheer panic’ at what had happened.

Former military man Reynolds is an HGV driver who has now lost his job and who suffers from PTSD following a series of tragedies in his personal life.

Judge Lucking said: “This was an extraordinary set of events. The prosecution have accepted your basis of plea."

She said both men had shown genuine remorse.

They were both ordered to complete unpaid work of 225 hours. Taylor must pay £1,000 in court costs, and Reynolds £200 to reflect his reduced means.

They were also banned from driving for 12 months and will have to take an extended re-test before they can drive again.

Charges of failing to stop at the scene of an accident against the men were dropped.