Boy, 5, took 4x4 on four-mile ‘joyride’ before crashing into wall

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy took his family’s automatic 4x4 on a four-mile “joyride” yesterday morning before crashing it into a wall.

Traffic officers described the incident as “remarkable” and said the boy and other drivers were lucky to have escaped without serious injury.

Several motorists dialled 999 after spotting a Mitsubishi Shogun being driven erratically and slowly by a small boy on roads east of Chichester, West Sussex, just after 7am.

At around the same time, the boy’s father reported to police that he had awoken to find both his car and his son missing from his home.

A short while later the 4x4 hit a wall in Pook Lane, Lavant, and Sussex Police believe the boy had travelled just over four miles from his home before crashing.

The child, who has not been identified, was taken to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester as a precaution but appears to have been uninjured and was reunited with his family.

A driver who had been briefly following the Shogun took care of the boy while police and an ambulance were called, a force spokesman said.

Police later received reports of three other vehicles, two of which were parked, being damaged by the Shogun, a 3.2 litre diesel engine, but nobody was injured.

The 4x4 was first seen by drivers travelling along a short stretch of the A27, then up to Halnaker and then across country to Lavant.

The police spokesman said: “Police believe that the car travelled just over four miles from the address. Several witnesses have spoken of it being driven at a slow speed, but erratically.”

Officers have met with the family to explain what happened but no further action will be taken, the spokesman added.

Pc Mark Ryan, of Sussex Police’s road policing unit based at Chichester, said: “This was a remarkable incident and both the boy and other road users clearly had a lucky escape, as a serious collision could have happened at any stage.”

A West Sussex Police spokesman added: “I believe the boy was crying after he had the accident because he was a bit shaken but for a five-year-old he had driven quite well.

“It’s a bizarre case and we are not taking action against anyone.

“We were first made aware just after 7am when several drivers called saying they had seen a Mitsubishi Shogun being driven by a small boy on roads east of Chichester.

“At almost the same time a distressed local man reported he had woken up and believed his five-year-old son had driven off a short while beforehand in their car, which is an automatic.

“We believe the car travelled just over four miles from his home address. Several witnesses have spoken of it being driven at a slow speed, but erratically.

“It was first seen by drivers whilst travelling along a short stretch of the A27 between Tangmere and the junction with A285, then up that road to Halnaker and across country to Lavant.

“A short while later the car hit a wall in Pook Lane, Lavant.

“A driver who had been briefly following the car took care of the boy while police and an ambulance were called.”