A 26-YEAR-OLD man from Cam who took his stepbrother's car for a joyride and then tried to persuade him to lie after it was involved in a crash has avoided jail.

Ashley Harney of Frederick Thomas Road was a passenger in Rene Cullen-Bond's VW Golf when it hit two parked cars, writing one off and causing £2,500 damage to the other. The Golf itself was also a write-off.

After the collision Harney asked Cullen-Bond, who owned the car but was not in it at the time, to lie about it being stolen in a bid to avoid arrest.

But prosecutor Tara Wolfe told Gloucester Crown Court police found Harney's DNA on both deployed airbags in the car - proving he had been in it when it crashed.

Harney pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated vehicle taking, attempting to pervert the course of justice and possessing cannabis.

He admitted that on February 4 he took a VW Golf for his own use and then had a collision in which a Vauxhall Corsa and a Ford Ka were damaged.

He further admitted that between February 3 and April 9 he committed acts tending or intended to pervert the course of justice by arranging for Cullen-Bond, 22, of Damery Lane, Berkeley, to claim the car had been stolen by others.

Cullen-Bond pleaded not guilty to that joint charge and the prosecution offered no evidence against him. He was formally found not guilty by Judge Michael Cullum and discharged.

After the collision, said Ms Wolfe, Harney sent a series of texts and made calls to Cullen-Bond asking him to "make up a story or conceal the truth of what had happened".

"Whoever was driving that car, and we accept it was not Mr Harney, lost control on a dangerous bend and hit two cars, each worth £8,000," she said.

"The occupants, including the defendant, fled the scene. Mr Cullen-Bond later attended the scene, about an hour afterwards, and said the car had been stolen. He said he had last seen it at his address at 9pm that day.

"After the defendant's DNA was found on the airbags he was arrested at his home on March 4. The Golf's keys were there and also some cannabis.

"Texts were found on his mobile phone. He had sent them to Mr Cullen-Bond stating that the Golf had just been written off and the police were going to be involved. When interviewed, the defendant said 'no comment' to all questions and displayed a dismissive attitude. He appeared to find the allegations humorous."

She said Harney had made five previous court appearances for 10 offences.

Sarah Jenkins, defending, said: "He takes full responsibility for what happened. He intended to fully admit his part at the police station so that his stepbrother would not be arrested or involved but he was given firm advice by his legal team at that time to make no comment.

"He is in full time work and has already paid towards repairing the telegraph pole and wall damaged in this incident.

"He says this was an error of judgement at the time of the very unexpected bereavement of his mother. She underwent surgery and there were complications. He sought to deal with his feeling sat that time with the use of alcohol and cannabis."

Harney was sentenced to 12 months jail suspended for a year, banned from driving for 12 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to attend a twenty day rehabilitation programme as well as pay £350 costs.