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A man who crashed his girlfriend's car into a lake told police the car had been stolen. Dangerous driver Harry Mason, 30, led police on a 90mph pursuit through Southport before smashing the car into a Grade II-listed bandstand and a lake, causing £90,000 worth of damage to the 120-year-old bus shelter. At 3.45am on February 1, an officer noticed a silver Mercedes crashing twice into the kerb and indicated for the car to pull over. But instead of following the police's directions, he sped away, leading the officer on a high-speed chase. Police dashcam footage showed the officer lost sight of the speeding Mercedes as it continued onto Albany Road. Reaching the Promenade, Mason drove over the road and crashed into the Victorian bus shelter before plunging into the Marine Lake. The Liverpool ECHO reported that, at Liverpool Crown Court today, prosecutor Hannah Darling said: "Roe Lane has a speed limit of 30mph. As it travelled along Roe Lane, the vehicle appeared to lift off the ground over the hill at Norwood Avenue, clearly indicating he was travelling at an extremely high speed. "Having reached Manchester Road, the car travelled onto Alexandra Road. As it went around the bend, the suspect's vehicle was in the distance with no indication of slowing down." Pictures of the submerged car were shared widely on Facebook , leading to Mason's girlfriend contacting Merseyside Police , as she recognised the car belonged to her. Ms Darling said: "Officers then made their way to her address, which she shared with the defendant. En route, they were flagged down by the defendant. "He made a statement reporting that the vehicle had been stolen from their address and that his phone, keys, and some money were stolen from the kitchen." However, shortly after the police left the address, Mason's girlfriend challenged his story and he confessed to being the one responsible. He made admissions to police and later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice. Alan Lake, project manager at Sefton Council, said the damage caused to the historic bandstand was "in the region of £90,000". He said: "It's a much-loved, 120-year-old feature. The damage will impact on the council's already stretched staffing and financial resources. Unfortunately, precious resources will have to be diverted to the aftermath of an event which should never have happened. "The town of Southport and our local communities, which cherish the town's historical architecture, have suffered a great loss. The shelter has stood for 120 years; it survived two World Wars and until that night remained intact." He added: "The cost to repair this damage will be in the region of £90k. At present, the council simply cannot afford this unless budget and resources are diverted from other areas... This damage was the result of one selfish person." Damian Nolan, defending Mason, who has no previous convictions, said: "At the time, the defendant was labouring under immediate redundancy. He had a child from a former relationship that was very fractious and he was having supervised visits." "He was in a steady relationship with his girlfriend; they had a young child from that relationship. He was the primary earner and he feared, with redundancy, it would jeopardise the family's living position. That was happening to a person who had historically suffered very poor mental health." He said: "He feared that his life as he knew it had no further value. He stupidly panicked and provided that statement, but he had the good sense to remedy it and the true story came out. A full and frank admission is an additional mitigating factor. "It's a particularly sad event because he had never been in trouble with the police or authorities in any way. Prior to being made redundant, he had a good employment record." Mason, of The Mallards, Southport, was sentenced to a total of 14 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also given 20 rehabilitation days and a four-month 8pm to 6am curfew. He was also disqualified from driving for 18 months, after which he must pass an extended retest. Judge Denis Watson said: "The cost of repair of the shelter is significant, but it seems to me that the amount of compensation I could order is such a token that the public may wonder what on earth the judge is doing. I will leave it to the local authority if they wish to pursue such a claim for the restoration. "Mr Mason, you may not be out of the woods yet. You may well find Sefton Council will pursue you for the cost of the repair of the shelter."
