Man who took tank on a joyride 'gleefully' destroyed car

Jack Carroll, 22, from Anfield, Merseyside, admitted taking the 25-tonne Warrior tank without consent at Northallerton Magistrates' Court.

Carroll drove the tank over a white Vauxhall car

He was sentenced to a one-year driving ban and 200 hours of unpaid work after he pleaded guilty to the incident at Bourlon Barracks at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, in July last year.

A soldier captured Carroll driving the tank on a mobile phone video, which was then circulated on various websites, including YouTube.

Prosecution solicitor David Tucker described how the video, which was filmed by a soldier from the 2nd Duke of Lancaster Regiment from Merseyside, showed Carroll driving the tank over a white Vauxhall car, which had been abandoned by a soldier at the barracks.

He told the court: "The Warrior comes to the car, drives into and over the side of it and crushes the car."

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Joyrider: Jack Carroll from Merseyside

He added: "The recording ends with a big show of the driver of the Warrior vehicle in the driver's seat looking out the front of the vehicle quite plainly gleeful at what he'd just done."

In mitigation, solicitor Jane Scott, told the court Carroll was encouraged by his friends at the barracks and would not have been able to drive the tank if they had not shouted instructions to him.

"Mr Carroll's friend and others basically egged him on to go and drive this vehicle, which he did for about 90 seconds," she said. "There's no suggestion this is something he did off his own back."

She added the hangars where the tanks were kept had been left open and the tanks, which were not armed, were left mobilised, meaning the vehicle could be started by pressing a button.

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Crunch... the tank starts rolling over the car

Ms Scott also said the military had accepted incidents such as this were "not uncommon".

Speaking outside the court, shaven-headed Carroll said he had no idea the video had been posted on the internet.

His mother, Tina Carroll, blames the Army for allowing the incident to happen.

She said: "They leave the hangars open and the tanks mobilised so anyone could go in and anyone could take them.

"Fortunately he's a good intended young man and not a terrorist so maybe the Army best think about this."

The car now appears to be a convertable