An EXETER man was today given an 18 month suspended prison sentence after going on a 48 hour cocaine binge with friends and breaking into the local bus station and stealing a bus.
MARCUS FLETCHER, 41, from St Leonards in Exeter had been partying with friends and had spent over £800 on cocaine during a weekend of festive Christmas celebrations last year.
After 48 hours with no sleep. Fletcher claimed to be delierious and was walking past the bus depot with his friends when he had the idea that it would be fun to steal a bus.
CCTV footage shows Fletcher jumping over the bus station wall and leaping into one of the buses that he went on to hotwire.
The alarm was then raised as pedestrians noticed a bus driving the WRONG way down a one way street with a group of people that appeared to be dancing with their tops off at the back of the bus.
One witness, James Jameson from Exwick said ‘I thought something was up when I heard the bus blaring out Acid House as it sped past – MENTAL. They seemed to be having a great time though!’.
After a lengthy police chase, the fun was finally brought to an abrupt end just passed junction 20 of the M5 with Fletcher explaining that they were hoping to make it all the way to London for a party called ‘Horse Meat Disco’.
In court, Judge Graham Cottle advised Mr Fletcher that he had clearly lacked any form of judgement or moral compass at the time of the crime and whilst amazingly no one was hurt, it was in the interest of the law with Mr Fletcher having no previous criminal convictions that he impose a suspended sentence.