The man couldn’t resist taking the brand new Ferrari 488 GTB worth $461,000 for a spin until he lost control of the supercar and crashed it into a tree only hours after it had been delivered.
The half-a-million dollar car had belonged to Lewis Graban, international sports star, but it was his brother-in-law that had taken the car’s delivery and had been driving until he caused the crash.
The crash was estimated to have caused approximately AUD$170,000 worth of damages, and was destroyed beyond use.
Graban had not been available to take the delivery at his Hertfordshire home, and so arranged Michael O’Donnell, the brother of his wife, to receive the delivery for him.
However, the brother-in-law decided it was an appropriate photo and video opportunity. O’Donnell and his friend Gokan Kiziloz took pictures and video of the supercar before starting the engine.
The two testified to the St Albans crown court that they resolved to take it for a spin.
O’Donnell had a wrist injury and so decided to sit in the front passenger seat while Kiziloz would drive the car, stated the prosecutor for their case Peter Shaw.
Kiziloz did not have insurance to drive a vehicle as powerful as the Ferrari 488 GTB, nevertheless he reassured O’Donnell that he would have no trouble driving it, citing his past experience with driving a Porsche.
The court heard that the two had no trouble driving around on local roads. After a couple hours of driving, the pair decided to return to Grabban’s house in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
That was when they ran into trouble, with Kiziloz testifying that he only “slightly” placed his foot on the accelerator pedal when he lost control of the supercar and swerved into a large tree.
Dazed and confused, the duo had climbed out of the vehicle and saw the wreckage. O’Donnell resolved to call his sister Catherine to inform her of the situation.
Initially disbelieving, Catherine thought she was being humoured until he saw the pair had returned to her home with injuries.
The two pleaded guilty to the offence of aggravated vehicle-taking, and Kiziloz admitted to not being insured. O’Donnell was required to perform unpaid work for 225 hours, with Kiziloz given a more forgiving punishment of 24 hours of unpaid work only.
The pair were also given a community order and were prohibited from driving for 12 months.
The supercar was returned back to its factory in Italy to be repaired.