British soldier, 32, who crashed his car then told police that his vehicle had been stolen is spared jail after judge calls his lies a ‘fairly common human response’

A British soldier who crashed his car and then told police his vehicle had been stolen has been spared jail after a judge called his lies a “fairly common human reaction.”

Corporal Rhys Gooding, who served in the British Army for 14 years, crashed his car during an incident in Rochdale in April 2022 and fled the scene.

The 32-year-old later called police to claim his vehicle had actually been stolen and that he had found it damaged while walking down the street, the court heard.

However, police discovered the truth months later after comparing Gooding’s DNA to his car’s airbag that deployed at the time of the crash. When confronted by officers, Gooding admitted he had been driving at the time of the crash. He said he had ‘panicked’ and apologized for wasting police time.

Father-of-two Gooding said he suffered from serious mental health problems, including anxiety depression after a breakup with his ex-girlfriend of 13 years.

Gooding, who was based with the Royal Lancers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, faced a possible prison sentence after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

But a judge at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester said he would undergo an ‘exceptional’ course and ordered him to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order.

Corporal Rhys Gooding, 32 (pictured) who served in the British Army for 14 years, crashed his car during an incident in Rochdale in April 2022 and fled the scene

At sentencing, Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said it was ‘common sense’ to say Gooding’s offense was an ‘indictment against his own folly’

Gooding (pictured) was ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order

At sentencing, Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said it was “common sense” to say Gooding’s offense was an “indictment against his own folly”.

Judge Lowe said: “You are someone who, in normal circumstances, presents yourself as an irreproachable citizen and an exemplary and respected soldier.

“The principal evil in your conduct was that police resources were diverted and wasted at a time when they were scarce.

“But it seems to me that once you tell a lie, you then start a series of lies, because it is difficult to avoid the consequences. That’s a pretty common human response to situations.

‘This offense covers many areas of behavior that relate to the entire range of offenses in the criminal calendar.

‘But it is common sense to say that lying because of a relatively minor traffic offense or the fear of a breathalyzer is the lower limit of the criminality of this crime.

“Once you’re on a track, it’s hard to get back.”

He added: “You have a positive career ahead of you in the military and I am going to handle this case as an exception.

‘You have not covered yourself in glory as you now recognize, but just remember what it feels like to stand in the dock of a Crown Court if you are tempted to do something like that in the future.’

The Army said it could not provide details of the military disciplinary actions Corporal Gooding now faces.

However, it is understood that he will not be court-martialled, but will instead be disciplined at the level of his unit.

Service personnel convicted of a criminal offense may face sanctions up to and including discharge from the military.

An army spokesman said: ‘We expect very high standards of behavior from our personnel, whether on duty or off, and take breaches of those standards very seriously.’

Dad-of-two Gooding (pictured) said he suffered from serious mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, after splitting with his ex-girlfriend of 13 years

When confronted by officers, Gooding (pictured) admitted he had been driving at the time of the crash

He said he had ‘panicked’ and apologized for wasting police time

Prosecutor Betsy Hindle said: ‘He called the police to say his car had been stolen and it had been found damaged while walking down the street.

‘He was being treated as a victim of crime at that stage and police came across two reports from members of the public who said an accident had occurred between two vehicles, one of which belonged to Mr Gooding.’

‘The report indicated that the driver of Mr Gooding’s vehicle had left on foot and he appeared to be intoxicated.

‘Mr Gooding was asked if he was the driver of the car and if he was drunk at the time, but he denied this and said he had been taking antibiotics and could not drink.

“This contradicts his original report to police when he said his vehicle was stolen, as he stated he could not remember where he left his car keys because he had been drunk that night.

‘He then continued to make a statement about his allegedly stolen car and even provided a victim personal statement in which he talked about how ‘inconvenient and annoying’ it had been that someone had taken his car because he had no car to drive.

‘He later provided a saliva sample for DNA testing. The DNA on the airbags then came back with a positive identification, showing that it was Mr. Gooding himself who was the driver that night.”

Gooding (pictured) was initially treated as a victim of a crime

The soldier, who was based with the Royal Lancers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, faced a possible prison sentence after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

He will not be court-martialed, but will instead be disciplined at the level of his unit

Gooding was invited for an interview at a police station, where he admitted being the driver and hitting two other vehicles.

He said he “freaked out,” ran away and apologized for wasting police time. He claimed that his friends advised him to report the car as stolen.

Ms Hindle added: “The maximum penalty for this charge is life imprisonment. This is a crime that carries a higher degree of culpability as a result of behavior over a longer period of time.

‘He had many opportunities to be honest, even when the police asked if he was indeed the driver. There has been some impact on the administration of justice.”

In mitigation, defense attorney Huw Edwards said: “This is not a sophisticated offence. This was an extremely foolish set of actions that took place during a difficult time in his life.

‘He wants to apologize to the court and the police. His remorse is sincere and sincere.

‘He is a corporal in the British Army and will face disciplinary action as a result of this offence.

‘He served in the army for 14 years, touring Afghanistan, Turkey, Cyprus and Kenya, and is respected for his reliability and competence.

‘His relationship with his partner had ended after 13 years together and he had a truly terrible year.

‘He suffered from psychological problems and was admitted to a psychiatric ward.

“Whatever happened that night and what caused him to lie about it is serious, but when you consider that these crimes can involve murder and the concealment and disposal of a weapon, the impact on the administration of justice in this case was limited .’