A CAR owner today spoke about the daily struggle she faces after her car was written off by a teenager illegally driving a tractor.

Naomi Cassidy

A CAR owner today spoke about the daily struggle she faces after her car was written off by a teenager illegally driving a tractor.

Kim Rogers, from Parham, said she would have liked to see Adam Row, who admitted driving a tractor, over two cars including hers, get more than his 90-day prison sentence.

Former para, Row, 19 from Hollesley, will serve six weeks of his sentence after he pleaded guilty to fraud, driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.

South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard yesterday how Row had been working as a tractor driver for three days when the accident happened.

As he made a turn on the Snape roundabout in Tunstall at about 7.15am on June 20, the front of the tractor started to bounce and became unstable before it collided with a red Volkswagen Polo, a house, a blue Punto and a listed wall.

It was heard how Row had been disqualified for driving for a year just a month before this incident but he pretended to his new employer that he still had a licence.

Representing himself, Row, whose father died in January and mother has multiple sclerosis, replied: “That is why I have got another job because I'm prepared to pay compensation. The insurance company have said they will pay for the cars, wall and house.”

Sentencing him, Judge Cooper said: “You do not have any regard for court orders. You deliberately hung onto your licence.

“What you did was catastrophic. You demolished these guys' holiday cottage and they have been deprived of £2,000 in income.

“I do not think I have ever seen an accident quite like this.”

Judge Cooper added: “It was a serious offence. A custody sentence is inevitable. You haven't shown any degree of remorse.

“In just six weeks, it will be all over and done with. After being in the army, you won't find this at all difficult, believe me.”

Miss Rogers is a self-employed yard groom for horses and has had to rely on lifts to work from her boyfriend's sister since her car was written off as she is still waiting for the insurance money to buy another car.