Moment bungling lorry driver smashes into £40,000 Grade II listed monument... but escapes with £250 fine
A bungling lorry driver caused £40,000 of damage when he crashed into a Grade II-listed memorial before fleeing the scene with its iconic cross inside its trailer has been fined just £250.The driver, who has not yet been named, collided with the 15ft-tall William Gladstone memorial cross in Lea Marston, Warwickshire, last summer while attempting to make a turn after finding themselves on the wrong road.CCTV footage of the incident shows the moment the cross on the top of the historic monument toppled into the back of the truck after the panicking driver took a wrong turn.Tonnes of rubble can be seen crashing into the back of the lorry with such force the HGV rocked on its wheels, and causing a huge dust cloud to surround the truck.The driver is then seen hurriedly driving away from the scene at around 2pm on August 21 last year.The sandstone cross was erected in 1905 to commemorate a visit to the village by Gladstone, the then-Prime Minister.At the time the incident baffled police, who believed the iconic cross had been stolen and possibly dumped in another location.Warwickshire Police released footage of the bizarre crash after the driver was hauled to court. The Grade II listed memorial was all but completely destroyed in the incident on August 21 last year Footage caught the moment the lorry driver made a wrong turn and found himself driving past the memorial (left) The driver then began attempting a multi-point turn, but did not complete the manoeuvre successfully A large cloud of dust showed the moment the truck hit the memorial, toppling over the stone and ending up with the cross in its trailerRead More When gunman walked in I knew exactly what to do: I'd been doing karate for 20 years for this moment The driver, from Birmingham, was slapped with seven points on his licence and ordered to pay £246 in costs and fines - despite having caused £40,000 of damage.Posting the video on Facebook, the Warwickshire Rural Crime Team said: 'The driver mistakenly took a wrong turn onto Church Lane, Lea Marston.'He has attempted a multiple point turn of very low talent.'After failing this manoeuvre, he has reversed at speed into the Gladstone Cross Monument, which was a grade II listed structure, with the crosshead of the structure landing in the back of his HGV.'He has then run over a significant portion of the column causing irreparable damage on his escape from the scene.'Police were alerted by villagers who noticed the rubble and stone cross topper missing.The lorry was tracked to a company in Redditch, Worcestershire, and officers spotted the HGV in Birmingham a few days later. As the driver fled, they left behind a pile of rubble and the remains of the stone structure The driver was quick to flee the scene and has never revealed where the stone cross is nowPolice were able to identify the driver who damaged the monument after contacting the company director of the haulage firm.The driver was interviewed but did not reveal where the missing cross was located.He appeared at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday.Speaking afterwards, a police spokesperson said: 'The cross is in the very early stages of consultation to being rebuilt, however due to this being a listed building this is an expensive and elongated process.'Replacing the cross will not bring back the years of history and heritage it previously held within the local community.'
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Moment bungling lorry driver smashes into £40,000 Grade II listed monument... but escapes with £250 fine
