Van driver who blamed crash on his French bulldog Reggie chewing via handbrake admits driving with out due care and a focus

A van driver who tried to blame a crash on his French bulldog Reggie chewing through the handbrake has admitted driving without due care and attention. 

Jody Lovatt, 49, had been attempting to restart his vehicle and push it backwards when it suddenly rolled off and smashed through the barriers of a level crossing and into a building at Knaresborough Station in North Yorkshire in July last year.

At the time, he attempted to lay the blame on his pet, claiming the dog had accidentally damaged the Vauxhall Combi van, causing it to move off. 

But he pleaded guilty to the charge of careless driving and of endangering safety of persons conveyed by the railway at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court, the BBC reports.

Lovatt had been heading to work after a gym session when the van broke down.

He got out of the vehicle and tried to get it moving again, but it rolled down the hill and eventually came to a halt against a Grade II-listed Victorian signal box, causing damages worth £22,000.

The collision also resulted in disruption to rail services between Harrogate and York, the court was told. 

CCTV footage showed the motorist, who had Reggie on a lead, get out of the van before re-entering and jumping out again, as it started rolling away. 

Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting, told the court the crash seemed to have been caused by ‘negligence or incompetence rather than malicious damage’.

Brian Nutteny, defending, said Lovatt tried to move his vehicle backwards as he had been worried it was causing an obstruction.

The motorist had also been trying to control his French bulldog, causing this ‘momentary lapse’.

Mr Nutteny added that Lovatt’s actions that day had been ‘neglectful, not deliberate’ and the motorist showed remorse over the crash.

Lovatt faces sentencing at Harrogate Magistrates’ later this month.