Spoiled Brat Steals Dad’s Aston Martin Rapide, Rolls it, Blames ADHD for Violent Crash
Making matters even worse, the Aston was actually dad’s rental, and it was due back that same day. Oops.
An unlicensed British man stole a luxurious Aston Martin Rapide sedan allegedly rented by his father, crashed it while driving at a high rate of speed, flipped it, then fled the scene of the crime. Why? Because of his attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The unnamed father of 20-year-old George Jones, rented the aforementioned Aston from November 9 through 12, 2018, from an exotics rental company named Priority Hire, according to The Daily Mail. On the day Jones's father was scheduled to return the car, George absconded with the keys despite not having a license, and went on a joyride.
While out on the roads, Jones reportedly attempted to pass a line of several cars being led by a heavy truck. Jones misjudged the width of the stolen Aston Martin, and hooked its right rear wheel on the truck, causing the car to flip in spectacular fashion. Prosecutor Alex Daymond, who represented the truck's driver, said the driver felt a jolt big enough to shake him in his seat.
"He looked in his mirror and saw a black vehicle doing a cartwheel," Draymond said. The unnamed truck driver, Draymond continued, saw Jones "crawling across the roof of the car," before Jones jumped out and proclaimed "I am fucking off."
Jones fled directly back to his father's house, where police found him after tracing ownership of the car to the rental company, who pointed them to the Jones residence. It was there that police arrested the 20-year-old, who admitted in Gloucester Crown Court on April 13, 2019, to "aggravated vehicle taking and driving without a license or insurance."
Jones didn't admit to the crime before his lawyer Joe Maloney gave a Twinkie Defense-level excuse for Jones's irresponsible behavior: "ADHD issues."
Personally, I suffer from ADHD, too, but impulsivity has not once led me to steal a toy car, let alone car worth six figures. Going by the fact that he ran straight back to daddy with the expectation that everything would be okay, this probably isn't a case of ADHD, but of Affluenza.
Fortunately, Judge Michael Cullum didn't fully buy the excuse.
"What sort of person leaves the scene of that accident?" asked Judge Cullum during the trial. "What sort of person chooses to wreck £50,000 of a car he has stolen? Just walking away, having been so lucky he did not kill himself. I personally have dealt with quite a few deceased young men, often passengers in vehicles in such situations. You walked away without a scratch. You used up all the luck anyone would have in a lifetime."
"I still do not understand why you took it. Yes, you have ADHD issues. But you knew you did not have the right to drive it. You did not have a licence, and were not entitled to drive any car. But you chose to steal a vehicle. You drove towards Painswick. Goodness knows what damage you would have done if you had got there. You then chose to overtake a lorry. You were not driving responsibly."
The judge issued Jones an eight-month sentence to a "young offenders' institute" (suspended for 12 months), 250 hours unpaid labor, a two-year ban from getting a driving license, and court fees of £425 ($555). Considering most people wouldn't get away with a sentence this light, Jones still ought to count his lucky stars.
