A driver hired to transport a vintage car to France has been ordered to pay its owner £6,000 after he crashed it into another classic car while taking it for an unauthorised spin.
Aleksander Kuchin, 29, admitted unlawfully taking the red Pontiac Trans Am without permission on 7 September and driving it without due care or attention.
He crashed the Pontiac into a green Volkswagen 1967 Type 3 car in Greenways, Ovingdean, which was damaged to the front, as well as a grey Vauxhall Corsa.
According to the charge sheet, the Pontiac was driving southbound on Greenways when the vehicle spun and collided with the front offside VW, with the rear offside of the Pontiac leaving harsh tyre marks on the road.
Because he didn’t have permission to be driving it at that point, his insurance was invalid, meaning he chalked up a third charge of driving uninsured, to which he also pleaded guilty.
Yesterday, he appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court to be sentenced. Prosecuting, Amy Fraser outlined the case to a bench of three magistrates.
The court also heard from a probation officer, who said Kuchin told her a disqualification would mean he could not work as a driver, which would be the most significant punishment.
After deliberating with his colleagues, the chair of the bench gave Kuchin, of Elmore Road, Brighton, a 12-month community order with a requirement to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
He also disqualified him for 12 months, and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £85, court costs of £114 and to pay the owner of the Pontiac £6,000 in compensation.
According to the UK Car Data website, the Pontiac was last sold for close to £25,000 in July 2025, just a few weeks before the crash.
Before today’s appearance, Kuchin had previously been released on court bail with a condition not to contact Tom Baker.
What’s the tom baker story? Sounds like a better story than a car bump.
Ban the clown for life, why anyone would hire him to drive anything is a mystery, I wouldn’t rent him a wheelbarrow