A driver crashed his car, fled the scene and called the police and his insurance company to report the theft.
The Derby Crown Court heard Shaun Froggatt maintain his ruse for months and claim his loss in writing.
The 34-year-old was then questioned by the police, who told him that his DNA had been found on the airbag that inflated in the collision.
At that point he decided not to answer any of the questions he was then asked.
Recorder Adrian Reynolds said, “On the night of Nov.
“I have seen material that suggests you drove fast at the time and I am not making an explicit decision about it.
“You then called the police to report your car stolen in a deliberate attempt to pervert the judiciary.
“If you had woken up the next day and thought better, the outcome of this case might have been different.
“Instead, you called your insurance company and wrote that your car had been stolen.
“Even three months later, when the insurance called you again, you said that.
“When you were questioned by the police and they told you that your DNA was found on the airbag, which was pretty compelling evidence, you said ‘no comment’.
“This was not just a hot-headed, spontaneous decision, it was a lie that you held on to for some time.
“It was calculated and you told the writer of your presentation report that you haven’t had a drink and are driving home from work, that you are tired and that you think you temporarily fell asleep behind the wheel.
“I have the greatest skepticism about that.”
Prosecutor Sarah Allen said the incident took place on Lansbury Road in Eckington, just around the corner from Froggatt’s house on Mary Street.
She said the defendant crashed his Seat Leon into a parked car and damaged it so badly that it had to be written off.
There’s an easy way to make sure you don’t miss another Chesterfield story – just subscribe to our email updates.
Our daily Chesterfield Live newsletters are filled with the best stories handpicked by our news editors.
To sign up, all you have to do is go to this page or enter your email address in the black box at the top of this story.
Miss Allen said he left his car on the street and reported it stolen first to the police and later to his insurance company.
She said, “The police investigation found his DNA on the car’s airbag when it was inflated during impact.”
Froggatt, who has a criminal record for drunk driving and drunk driving and disorder, pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the judiciary and fraudulently.
Emma Hodgson said her client makes £ 26,000 a year as a team leader at a company he has been with for four years.
She said, “If he goes to jail, he will lose his job, which is a protective factor against relapse.
“If the defendant keeps his job, he will be able to repay the owner of the car he ran into.”
