A drunken driver who left a trail of destruction as he crashed five times during a 10 minute wrecking spree was jailed for eight months yesterday.
Kevin McHugh, 31, hit the same car twice before smashing through a bus shelter and ploughing into a community centre and a Transit van.
McHugh was also banned from driving for 47 months after a court heard he narrowly missed pedestrians after mounting the pavement close to the bus stop.
Sheriff John Rafferty said: "As you must realise yourself, this was an absolutely shocking piece of driving which placed several members of the public at risk. Serious risk.
"You drove into a car causing damage and then when they contacted police you drove into the car again causing more damage.
"You struck a pole at the bus shelter, moving it a distance from its mountings and then you crashed into a fence dragging it away from its mounting and you struck a Transit van.
"The risk to the public was clear and obvious and given the offence and your record the only sentence I can impose is a custodial one."
Fiscal depute Christine Allan told Dundee Sheriff Court that McHugh, of Dundee, had been out drinking for hours before the first crash at 10.50pm on 22 February last year.
He hit the rear of a Vauxhall Astra which had stopped at traffic lights and then hit it a second time as he ignored the crash, reversed and then drove off.
Mrs Allan said: "Pedestrians became aware of the vehicle being driven in their direction. As he approached, he lost control, mounted the kerb and hit the bus stop.
"A pole at the bus stop had been removed from its housing, and ended up around 20 feet away from the bus stop.
"The accused continued driving on 16 to 20 feet before crashing into the security fencing around a community centre."
She said he was still moving fast enough to drag part of the fencing away before hitting and damaging a Ford Transit van and coming to a standstill.
McHugh was tackled by witnesses who realised he was drunk, but he fled from the scene and was arrested by police later.
Solicitor John Boyle, defending, said: "There is a very longstanding difficulty with alcohol here. He undertook a detox programme.
"Unfortunately there has since been a relapse. He is not suitable for unpaid work because of his alcohol difficulty."
McHugh admitted four charges, including driving dangerously in West Marketgait and Dickson Avenue, Dundee, and elsewhere unknown.
He admitted colliding with another vehicle on West Marketgait, causing damage to both vehicles, before refusing to exit his vehicle and repeatedly driving at the other car and colliding with it again, before driving away.
McHugh also admitted losing control of the car on Dickson Avenue before leaving the carriageway and striking a bus stop.
He admitted driving along the pavement and hitting security fencing and a parked van, causing damage to all three. The charge said the crashes took place in an area where there were pedestrians and shops, and while he was under the influence.
McHugh also admitted driving the car without insurance and failing to report both the West Marketgait and Dickson Avenue crashes.
Jailing him, Sheriff Rafferty said: "He has been through detox and that has not worked. This is an episode of dangerous driving where he was involved in five accidents."
