Drunk driver stole Stagecoach bus for drug-fuelled joyride on English Riviera

Corrigan was found in an apparent drunken or drug-induced state.

Daylan Corrigan

Daylan Corrigan has been jailed for stealing a Stagecoach bus (Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A disqualified driver stole a Stagecoach bus and went on a drug-fueled joyride.

Daylan Corrigan knocked over a traffic light as he drove out of the depot in Paignton, Devon, before continuing along the link road on his way to Torquay.


Corrigan activated the radio and triggered an alarm, which allowed Stagecoach staff and police to track him.

He was eventually found in a drunken and drug-induced state in the driver's seat of the bus in the Chelston area of Torquay, reports Devon Live.

Corrigan was abusive to police who took him to the station, calling them "f*****g weirdos".

The defendant, of Whitley Court, Paignton, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for a spree of offending which also included trying to steal a car and interfering with a number of other buses.

He has been jailed for 14 months.

The incident happened at around 4.30am on October 17 when a concerned member of the public called 999 to report a damaged Stagecoach bus swerving around Hamelin Way.

It was being driven in a dangerous way, crossing white lines and the witness thought it would crash.

Police and Stagecoach tracked the bus to Seaway Lane where Corrigan identified himself and admitted stealing the bus.

He appeared unsteady on his feet and "either drunk or drugged-up".

It turned out Corrigan had started his evening by breaking into several vehicles at Paignton Bus Station.

Handbrakes had been taken off and ignitions interfered with before he decided to drive off in one, hitting a traffic light and leaving tyre marks as he left.

Corrigan admitted aggravated vehicle taking, vehicle interference, driving while disqualified and failing to provide a specimen.

On July 12 he broke into a Vauxhall Corsa in Paignton and caused more than £4,000 of damage as he attempted to steal it.

The owner, a charity worker, said she was out of pocket as a result and the charity work had been disrupted.

Corrigan has 27 previous crimes on his record, many for vehicle-related crimes.

His latest spree put him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for dealing cannabis.

Mr Martin Salloway, defending, said there was "another side" to Corrigan and he had caring responsibilities. He said the defendant was very sorry.

Judge David Evans said the driving had been erratic and Corrigan's behaviour to police abusive.

He accepted he has some mental health difficulties but had failed to take previous opportunities to reform.

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