A speeding drunk driver who ploughed into a pub loved by pop star Ed Sheeran and caused £50,000 worth of damage has walked free from court.
Howard Sargent left a trail of destruction when his Toyota Yaris smashed through the front of the Pilot Inn in Dungeness after he’d been drinking all day, before calmly walking away from the wreckage.
The 54-year-old self-employed builder, who lives locally, was caught on CCTV crashing into the restaurant area in Dungeness, Kent before strolling off. He admitted being unfit to drive through drink at an earlier hearing.
Police arrested him at his home shortly after the crash on August 10. Officers said he smelled strongly of alcohol, was unsteady on his feet and had minor injuries.
On his arrest, officers conveyed him to hospital, which, inadvertently, meant he was not breathalysed at Folkestone police station until nine and a half hours after the crash.
Yet despite the duration, Sargent gave a reading of 48mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, whereas the limit is 35mcg.
Sargent was banned from driving for 28 months, reduced by a quarter if he completes a rehabilitation course, and given a 12-month community order, including 140 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity sessions.
CCTV footage from just after midnight on August 10 shows a red Toyota Yaris smashing through the restaurant area of the family-owned Pilot Inn in Dungeness, Kent
Shocking photographs show the aftermath of the crash, with the front of the dining area destroyed and the vehicle completely wrecked
He must also pay £85 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
Horrified eyewitnesses in a broken-down car watched on in disbelief as the drama unfolded at 12.05am.
Magistrates heard how police were called to the single-car crash, which had caused significant damage.
The red car had approached the notorious sharp bend in Battery Road when it veered off the carriageway into the pub.
A male driver had been seen vacating the vehicle after the smash.
Sargent was arrested at 1.30am on suspicion of drink driving after further investigations revealed he was the insured driver.
At a previous hearing on August 27, prosecutor Neil Sweeney told the same court: ‘Officers attended his home address and located him.
‘They can smell alcohol on his breath. He is unsteady on his feet.’
Sargent initially faced two charges.
They included driving while unfit through drink, which he admitted, and a separate, more specific charge for having 48mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which was dropped.
The reasoning, the prosecutor explained, was that ‘the reading does not give a true reading at the time of the accident occurring’ as more than nine and a half hours had lapsed.
Jon Service, mitigating today, said the crash had impacted Sargent and his partner ‘catastrophically’ and the drink-driver suffered ‘quite a bad injury to his knee’, which has impacted work.
He adds the couple have been ‘ostracised’ by society and are considering moving out.
Remarkably, the family were able to partly reopen the pub just 12 hours later
‘The level of abuse and negativity they have faced has drastically impacted their mental health,’ Mr Service said.
‘They are considering leaving the area because of the amount of negativity they are getting.’
Compensation was not dealt with by magistrates, and will instead be a matter for a civil court, although the cost of the damage was said to be up to £50,000.
Caroline Snowden, chair of the bench, accepted submissions the collision was a mid-level Category 2 offence, the sentencing range of which is a low- to high-level community order, and does not carry the possibility of a custodial sentence.
‘Clearly, there has been a significant impact on the community on what you did,’ she told Sargent.
‘But we are not looking to overly punish you because social media has had a lot to say about this.
‘That is not what this court is about.’
The drunk driver caused £50,000 of damage, which the family paid for themselves to avoid having to close the venue while awaiting a payout from their insurers
Sargent was handed a 28-month driving ban, which can be reduced by 25% if he completes a drink driving rehabilitation scheme, and a 12-month community order, which will see him complete 140 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity sessions. He must pay costs of £85 and a £114 victim surcharge.
Shortly after the crash, pub bosses shared the heart-stopping footage with KentOnline, which also captures Sargent calmly walking away from the scene.
They praised the support that poured in as residents and customers clubbed together to help fully restore the dining area within 10 days.
The family-owned restaurant has been a popular haunt for celebrities, with recent visitors including singers Ed Sheeran and Rag’n’Bone Man, comedian Henning Wehn, and soap stars Ricky Groves and Steven Arnold.
The Pilot’s owner, Niko Miaoulis, previously said he was overwhelmed by the backing he received from residents and customers.
‘We were very shocked when it happened, but the support just poured in,’ the 61-year-old said.
‘I will remember it forever.’
‘Family of staff members, neighbours, local businesses, and even customers just turned up with tools. Local businesses offered supplies and gave us bits and pieces for free.
‘There was an amazing kindness from everybody. We’re dwelling on the positivity of it.’
Rob Miaoulis, Mr Miaoulis’s son and another director of the business, adds it was lucky nobody was seriously injured in the crash.
‘It was actually a very close call,’ the 31-year-old said.
‘Although we shut the restaurant at 9.30pm, there was a car which came into the car park and turned around 10 seconds before [Sargent crashed into] the restaurant. It could have killed someone.
‘There were also customers who had broken down in our car park and watched the whole thing happen.’
