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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Bus joyrider took 300-mile trip | Bus joyrider took 300-mile trip |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A thief has been jailed for more than two years for taking a single-decker bus on a 300-mile joyride. | A thief has been jailed for more than two years for taking a single-decker bus on a 300-mile joyride. |
| Paul Hughes, 20, stole the First Bus from Portsmouth, Hampshire on 21 December 2006, and drove it to visit friends in Ipswich, Suffolk. | Paul Hughes, 20, stole the First Bus from Portsmouth, Hampshire on 21 December 2006, and drove it to visit friends in Ipswich, Suffolk. |
| The ride ended on the M25 when the bus collided with a lorry, leaving Hughes with a ruptured spleen. | The ride ended on the M25 when the bus collided with a lorry, leaving Hughes with a ruptured spleen. |
| Hughes admitted charges including theft and was jailed for two years and four months at Portsmouth Crown Court. | Hughes admitted charges including theft and was jailed for two years and four months at Portsmouth Crown Court. |
| Specialist knowledge | Specialist knowledge |
| Hughes, from Havant, Hants, admitted one count of theft, three counts of driving while disqualified and three counts of taking a vehicle without consent. | Hughes, from Havant, Hants, admitted one count of theft, three counts of driving while disqualified and three counts of taking a vehicle without consent. |
| He had previously been jailed for eight months in January 2006 for taking three buses on a two-day joyride that took him as far afield as Brighton. | |
| Jane Desmond, a First Bus business manager, welcomed the sentence. | Jane Desmond, a First Bus business manager, welcomed the sentence. |
| She said the buses were secure even though they do not need keys to start. | She said the buses were secure even though they do not need keys to start. |
| You cannot start a bus unless you have the knowledge of how to drive a bus Jane Desmond | You cannot start a bus unless you have the knowledge of how to drive a bus Jane Desmond |
| Ms Desmond said: "The outcome of the court case has been satisfactory as far as we are concerned because the safety of our passengers and staff is of utmost concern for us. | Ms Desmond said: "The outcome of the court case has been satisfactory as far as we are concerned because the safety of our passengers and staff is of utmost concern for us. |
| "We do take the security of our buses very seriously, they are secured in the garages at night and these buses were taken during very brief changeover periods between drivers." | "We do take the security of our buses very seriously, they are secured in the garages at night and these buses were taken during very brief changeover periods between drivers." |
| She said Hughes had specialist knowledge that only a bus enthusiast could have. | She said Hughes had specialist knowledge that only a bus enthusiast could have. |
| "You cannot start a bus unless you have the knowledge of how to drive a bus - you have to go through a driving course or know a lot about buses," she said. | "You cannot start a bus unless you have the knowledge of how to drive a bus - you have to go through a driving course or know a lot about buses," she said. |