A DEESIDE man who works as an operations manager fled when he crashed his silver BMW into three vehicles.

Samuel Rider, 38, clipped one car and then struck two parked cars on Deeside.

He then refused to provide police with a breath sample, later saying that was because he was annoyed.

At Flintshire Magistrates Court at Mold yesterday he admitted failing to stop after an accident and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

Rider, of Afon View in Connah’s Quay, was banned from driving for a year.

He was placed on a 12-month community order, with 80 hours unpaid work and also ordered to pay £85 costs and an £85 surcharge.

Helen Tench, prosecuting, said police were made aware of a road traffic collision in Chevron Road, Connah’s Quay, at just before 7pm on June 30 where a BMW had collided with another vehicle and then struck two parked cars.

A number of people were standing around, officers were made aware the BMW driver had fled the scene and they were given a description.

They soon detained him but
he refused to provide a breath test at the scene or later at the police station.

He smelt of intoxicants and officers formed the opinion that he was very drunk.

Rider was described as erratic and violent during the journey to the police station and was headbutting the police car window.

A witness told how she heard several bangs and went out and took a photograph as the defendant fled.

Interviewed, Rider told how he had swerved to avoid a dog when the collision occurred.

The back of the car flipped out and struck a vehicle before he struck two parked cars.

He got out of the car in panic and thought he would be over the limit.

Phillip Lloyd Jones, defending, stressed Rider had no previous conviction.

Two cars were unoccupied, he had checked if the other driver was okay, and he then made “the biggest mistake of his life” when he decided to run.

It was his case that he had drunk a pint more than he should have done and that was preying on his mind.

He appreciated he had created more trouble for himself by not providing the breath test.

It could have shown that he was under the limit, he said.

Mr Jones said it was totally out of character.

Probation officer Andrew Connah said Rider accepted responsibility and expressed genuine remorse.

“He finds it difficult to believe how he has behaved and is ashamed of how he acted,” he told the court.

Rider was a full-time operations manager and he had references from his employer and from an aunt, which
showed he was a respected individual.