Sheffield Crown Court: Man caused 'complete carnage' when he accidentally reversed car into Sheffield bungalow

A man without a driving licence who accidentally ploughed a car into his Sheffield neighbour’s house, causing nearly £70,000 of damage, has been spared prison.
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34-year-old Ovidiu Kondor caused the damage after he took the keys to a hire car his brother was using, which was parked outside the property they share in Malton Street, Pitsmoor, and attempted to drive off, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

"It appears he had little or no experience of driving. It would seem he put the vehicle into reverse. He ploughed in to the garden wall, and home, of the property opposite – a bungalow,” prosecution barrister James Baird told a hearing on April 1.

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Mr Baird said the occupant of the bungalow was awake at the time of the incident at around 11.15pm on February 18 last year.

Ovidiu Kondor was sentenced during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, April 1, 2022Ovidiu Kondor was sentenced during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, April 1, 2022
Ovidiu Kondor was sentenced during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, April 1, 2022

"She heard a revving outside, then heard a bang, and the next thing she knew she was being covered with water,” continued Mr Baird, adding that the woman fortunately escaped without injury.

Kondor’s crash caused significant structural damage to the woman’s home, and not only was she forced to move out of her house for a time, but some of her neighbours were also evacuated due to gas and water pipes being ruptured.

Recorder Mark Cooper said photographs of the crash site ‘show a scene of complete carnage’.

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Mr Baird said Kondor ‘initially left the scene but returned a short time later by which time police officers had been called’.

During police interview, Kondor admitted to taking the vehicle and told officers that after seeing the damage ‘he panicked and ran’, Mr Baird said.

The crash caused nearly £70,000 of damage, with around £40,000 of damage to the property and £28,397 to Kondor’s brother’s hire vehicle. The occupant of the bungalow also had to pay a £200 excess for her insurance claim.

Referring to the woman’s victim statement, Recorder Cooper said the incident had affected her both emotionally and pscyhologically.

Kondor, of Malton Street, Pitsmoor, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking at an earlier hearing.

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In mitigation, Chris Aspinall said Kondor previously had a clean criminal record, and could not explain his actions, describing them as an ‘abberation’.

Recorder Cooper sentenced Kondor to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years; ordered him to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement; told him to pay £200 compensation and gave him a two-year driving ban.