Teen lucky no-one was seriously hurt after driving like 'prat' on A47

Luca Ciopaca was just 17 when he crashed his black BMW car which ended up on its roof after a crash involving another car on the A47 eastbound at the A140 Ipswich Road junction, just south of Norwich.

BMW car on its roof after crash (Image: Jonathan Bray) Norwich Crown Court heard one woman, who had been in a Vauxhall car, was taken to hospital following the crash which happened at about 2.15pm on November 7 last year.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Ciopaca, now 18, appeared at court on Wednesday, having admitted dangerous driving.

Michael Clare, who represented the teen, told the court he had "driven like a complete prat" and had given himself "substantial fright" as a result of the crash.

It resulted in the road being closed between the A140 and A11 with motorists left stuck in traffic for more than an hour.

Luca Ciopaca leaving Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Recorder Paul Garlick said it was "purely by chance that no-one was seriously injured, including yourself" before sentencing Ciopaca, of Firtree Road, Thorpe St Andrew.

Imposing a two-year community order and disqualifying the defendant from driving for a year, Recorder Paul Garlick told the defendant he had come close to being sent to a Young Offender's Institution (YOI) as a result of the offence.

He said: "This is a most serious offence of driving. The driving was dangerous".

"Fortunately no-one was killed but they did suffer injuries which must've been extremely painful for some time."

Mr Clare, for Ciopaca, said the teen had "driven like a prat" and was "embarrassed" by that, but had been mature in his response since the incident.

He said Ciopaca knows it was "more by luck than judgement no-one was seriously injured".

But he said the defendant was very young and is trying to make something of himself and "will need his driving licence".

Mr Clare said the driving ban he gets will give him time to reflect.

In addition to the community order, Ciopaca was also ordered to undertake 10 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR), 100 hours unpaid work and must pay £100 compensation.