A Devonshire man admitted in court today that he fled the scene of a crash and later told police the car had been stolen.

Larreau Grant, 36, claimed the car was taken from outside Warwick Workmen’s Club.

But he later admitted that he had panicked after the incident and that he had been drinking before the crash.

Magistrates’ Court heard that at around 8.15pm on January 19, Grant was driving west along Middle Road, near the junction with High Point Lane, when he attempted to overtake another car.

But Grant hit a motorcycle in the oncoming lane as well as the car he was overtaking and failed to stop.

All three vehicles were damaged and the rider of the motorcycle suffered cuts and bruises.

Police received a call from Grant’s mother, who owned the car, later that night to report the vehicle stolen.

Grant told investigators he still had keys and that he believed the vehicle had been hot wired.

Officers found the car near Industrial Park Road in Southampton with no signs that the ignition had been tampered with.

The police noticed Grant’s breath smelled of alcohol and arrested him on suspicion of driving while impaired.

He was taken to Hamilton Police Station, where breath tests showed he had 150 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood — almost double the legal limit.

Investigators checked CCTV footage from the club and nearby streets and noticed the car was driven past the club without stopping.

Mobile phone evidence showed Grant had called his mother to report the vehicle stolen from Southampton — near where the vehicle was abandoned — not Warwick.

Grant later admitted to police he had been driving the car.

He pleaded guilty to charges of drink driving, leaving the scene of a crash and making a false report.

Magistrate Tyrone Chin fined Grant $1,200 for impaired driving and banning him from driving all vehicles for 18 months.

But he adjourned sentence on the two charges after Grant told the court he wanted to pay restitution.

Grant was released on bail for another court appearance on June 26.

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