A 20-year-old man from Trowbridge has been sentenced after crashing an electric scooter into a parked car while under the influence of drugs.
Macaulay Whittaker, of Jenkins Street, appeared at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (December 19), where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including drug driving, careless driving, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance.
Incident Details
The crash occurred on June 18, when Whittaker was riding an e-scooter at speed down Wicker Hill in Trowbridge. He failed to navigate a left-hand bend, colliding with a parked 2000 Honda CR-V. Whittaker was thrown from the scooter, sustaining serious head injuries that required hospital treatment.
Subsequent tests revealed Whittaker had cannabis and cocaine in his system.
Court Sentencing
Whittaker received the following sentence:
- A two-and-a-half-year driving disqualification.
- An 18-month community order requiring:
- 140 hours of unpaid work.
- 30 rehabilitation activity days.
Police Statement
Roads Policing Officer PC Windsor-Hichens described Whittaker’s actions as “incredibly dangerous,” noting the risk posed to other road users and pedestrians.
“The owner of the vehicle had not long exited it. If Whittaker had collided with him, it could have caused serious injury,” PC Windsor-Hichens said.
He also emphasized the legal restrictions on e-scooters:
“Privately owned e-scooters are illegal to ride on public roads unless in designated trial areas, which require a valid driving licence and insurance. There are no trial areas for e-scooters within Swindon or Wiltshire, making it against the law to ride them on public roads.”
