A DRIVER ran away after he smashed into a telephone pole when he came off the road.

Matthew Newton, 35, appeared in the dock at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to counts of failing to stop and failure to report an accident.

The court heard how Newton, of Ashey Road, Ryde, pleaded guilty to the charges after it emerged he fled scene, leaving his car abandoned in a ditch on Carters Road.

Prosecutor, Vivian Ducie, said: "This was a serious road traffic accident and this gentleman failed to report the crash within 24 hours.

"What underpins these offences is why exactly someone would fail to stop in the first place. There isn't really anything else to be said.

"This man smashed into a telephone pole and landed in a ditch.

"It should be worth noticed that this crash happened on November 29, he wasn't interviewed until December 7.

"It took Hampshire's finest over a week to walk a few metres up the road from where the crashed happened to his home to speak to him."

For Newton, Barry Arnett, said: "He did eventually give a full and frank account of events to the police when he was spoken to.

"He told police he was guilty and he wasn't thinking straight after he crashed." The magistrates gave Newton a 12-month community order and disqualified him from driving for six months,

He was also ordered to pay court costs of £85 and a surcharge of £90.

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