MENDOZA: DRIVER HIT POLICE OFFICER AFTER DRUNKEN JOYRIDE IN FRIEND’S CAR

A student who drove into a police officer during a drunken joyride through London’s West End has been jailed.

Evert Mendoza, 20, got behind the wheel after downing four vodkas and three pints of beer in a series of bars and clubs.

He had tricked his friend Pedro Calbimonte into handing over the keys to the car by claiming he wanted to sleep.

Southwark Crown Court heard the Kings College student was first spotted by police driving the Renault Clio in New Row near Leicester Square at around 2.30pm, just moments before he collided with a metal bollard.

When officers went to speak with Mendoza the car lurched forward and one of the officers was hit by an open door.

Mendoza then sped off towards along King Street towards Covent Garden.

After a brief chase Mendoza ditched the car in Southampton Street and ran towards The Strand before he was stopped and arrested.

The court heard he later told police ‘I’m sorry; it is my friend’s car and I have no insurance and was scared.’

Sentencing the student Judge Deborah Taylor said: ‘A the time of this offence on May 6, 2011, it was the early hours of the morning you had on your own account drunk four shots of vodka and three beers.

‘Having told your friend, the owner of the car, you were going to leave the party to sleep in the car you, in fact, drove the car having had such a considerable amount to drink.

‘You knew that your friend had told you you could not drive his car and had sent you a text to remind you.

‘You drove off at speed and hit a bollard, damaging both the bollard and the car.

‘When the police arrived and approached you the front door of the car was wide open you drove off again.

‘The police had to jump back to avoid being injured, but one of the officers was hit by the open door, though they were not injured.

‘You accelerated around a number of streets and drove so those walking along the road had to move out of the way.

‘Then you stopped the car and decamped and ran away. The officers finally found you nearby.’

Judge Taylor told Mendoza his actions had the potential to cause serious injury to passers-by.

She continued: ‘Driving a car you had no right to drive, when you had far too much to drink through central London and risking injury to police officers are all a number of aggravating features of this case..

‘This appears to have been a relatively short piece of driving and out of character.

‘However, taking all these matters into account this offence passes the custody threshold.

‘Having regard to all the aggravating features and the rick to the police in driving off as you did only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.’

Judge Taylor sentenced Mendoza to four months in a young offenders institute and warned him that had he not pleaded guilty it would have been six months.

He was also disqualified from driving for 2 years and fined £515 for driving with excess alcohol.

Mendoza pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving with excess alcohol, driving without insurance, driving without a valid licence and leaving the scene of an accident earlier this year.

ENDS