A motorist who reversed into a parked car as he came out of a driveway and then laughed at the owner when she challenged him about the damage he caused, had displayed a “cavalier attitude” District Judge David Parsons said.

Christopher Robert Brown, 60, an engineer, living at Denyer Court, Meadowbank Road, Falmouth pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at Pit Meadow, Falmouth, on November 14.

He also admitted to failing to stop after an accident, and failing to report it.

Alison May, for the CPS, said that by hitting the parked Audi as he reversed out of the driveway he had caused a 12-inch scratch on it before driving off.

But the owner beeped her horn at him and shouted, and he stopped.

He laughed, and said the scratch had been there before, and that he was running late and was going.

The owner of the other car suffered discomfort in her neck as a result of the jolt.

Solicitor Polly Morley, for Brown, said he had been having an exceptionally difficult year, particularly in November when he had been visiting a friend who had recently come out of hospital and his partner had been taken extremely ill.

At the time of the incident he was not concentrating on what he was doing and had clipped the other car.

He did stop, but did not exchange details and did not report it.

He was not in his right frame of mind at the time and was now extremely remorseful.

Judge Parsons told Brown he had displayed a cavalier attitude to the other motorist, an aggravating feature of the case which involved serious offences.

Brown was fined £335 with £118 costs and surcharge and banned from driving for 56 days.