British soldier, 32, who crashed his car then told police that his vehicle had been stolen is spared jail after judge calls his lies a 'fairly common human response'

A British soldier who crashed his car then told police his vehicle had been stolen, has been spared jail after a judge called his lies a 'fairly common human response'. 

Corporal Rhys Gooding, 32, who has served in the British Army for 14 years, crashed his car during an incident in Rochdale in April 2022 and fled the scene. 

He later called police to claim his vehicle had actually been stolen and that he had found it damaged whilst walking down the street, the court heard.

However, police uncovered the truth months later after matching Gooding's DNA to the air bag on his car which inflated at the moment of impact.

When confronted by officers, Gooding confessed that he had been driving at the time of the crash. He said he'd 'panicked' and apologised for wasting police time.

Gooding said he had been suffering from severe mental health issues including anxiety and depression following a break up with his former girlfriend of 13 years.

The father-of-two, who had been stationed with the Royal Lancers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, faced a possible jail sentence after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice. 

But a judge at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, said he would take an 'exceptional' course and ordered him to complete 240 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12 month community order. 

Sentencing, Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said it was 'common sense' to say Gooding's offending was an 'indictment of his own folly'.

Judge Lowe said: 'You are someone who presents in normal circumstances as an impeccable citizen and an exemplary and well respected solider.

'The primary mischief in your behaviour was that police resources at a time when they are scarce were diverted and wasted.

'But it seems to me once you tell a lie, you then embark on a series of lies because it's difficult to avoid the consequences. That is a fairly common human response to situations.

'This offence covers many areas of conduct relating to the whole series of offences in the criminal calendar. 

'But it's common sense to say that to lie because of a relatively minor road traffic offence or the fear of being breathalysed is towards the bottom end of the criminality of this offence.

'Once engaged on a track it's difficult to turn back.'

He added: 'You have a positive career in the army ahead of you and I'm going to deal with this case on an exceptional basis. 

'You did not cover yourself in glory as you now recognise but just remember what it feels like to be in the dock of a crown court if you are tempted to do anything like this in the future.'

Gooding now faces a court martial.

Prosecutor Miss Betsy Hindle said: 'He rang the police to say his car was stolen and he had been found it damaged whilst walking down the street. 

'He was treated a victim of crime at that stage and police came across two reports from members of the public saying there had been a crash between two vehicles — one belonging to Mr Gooding.'

'The report showed the driver of Mr Gooding's vehicle had made off on foot and that he appeared intoxicated. 

'Mr Gooding was questioned as to whether he was driver of the car and that he had been intoxicated at the time but he denied this saying he had been on antibiotics and was not able to drink.

'This contradicts his original report to police when he said his vehicle had been stolen as he stated he couldn't remember where he had left his car keys as he had been intoxicated that night.

'He then continued to provide a statement about his allegedly stolen vehicle and even gave a victim personal statement in which he told how 'inconvenient and annoying' it had been that someone had taken his vehicle as he had no car to drive.

'He later gave a saliva sample for DNA tests to be carried out. The DNA on the airbags then came back with a positive ID hit showing it was Mr Gooding himself who was the driver that night.'

Gooding was invited to attend a police station for interview during which he admitted he was the driver and hit two other vehicles. 

He said he 'panicked' and ran off and apologised for wasting police time. He claimed his friends advised him to report the car as stolen.

Miss Hindle added: 'The maximum sentence for this indictment is life imprisonment. This is an offence that has higher culpability due to conduct over a sustained period of time. 

'He had many opportunity's to come clean even when police were asking whether he was in fact the driver. There has been some impact on the administration of justice.'

In mitigation, defence counsel Huw Edwards said: 'This is not a sophisticated offence. This was an extremely foolish number of actions which occurred at a difficult time in his life. 

'He wants to apologise to the court and the police. His remorse is heartfelt and genuine.

'He is a corporal in the British Army and will face disciplinary action as a result of this offence. 

'He has served for 14 years in the army and completed tours of Afghanistan, Turkey Cyprus and Kenya and is valued for his trustworthiness and ability.

'His relationship with his partner had ended having been together for 13 years and he had a truly terrible year. 

'He suffered with mental health issues and was admitted to a psychiatric unit.

'Whatever transpired that night and caused him to lie about it is serious, but bearing in mind these offences can involve murder and hiding and disposing of a weapon, the impact on the administration of justice in this case was limited.'