Bus nerd's two-hour rampage; Man left trail of destruction on joy ride: Two-hour bus joy ride.

Byline: Ross McCarthy

A MAN with "a fascination for buses" took a single decker from a depot and went on a two-hour joy ride around Birmingham city centre, leaving a trail of damage behind him. After colliding with two cars Mark Simpson eventually dumped the damaged bus in Digbeth and fled, but was caught because an angry motorist had taken a photo of him, a court heard. Simpson, 23, formerly of St Andrews Road, Bordesley Green, admitted aggravated vehicle taking and having no insurance.

He was given four months' imprisonment suspended for a year. He was also banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay pounds 220 compensation and pounds 80 costs. District Judge Linda Mottram told him: "I have never come across a case quite like it. "It is quite incredible that you took the bus and you drove around the city centre for two hours and you had two accidents." She said aggravating features included the kind of vehicle Simpson had taken as well as the potential for serious damage and harm. Edward Parton, prosecuting at Birmingham Magistrates' Court, said on the afternoon of August 13 Simpson had gone into the depot of Flights bus company in Long Acre, Nechells, wearing a shirt and tie. He then got into the drivers' seat of a bus, started the engine and drove off. Mr Parton said he drove along Coventry Road, Small Heath, where he had his first collision with a parked car, a Toyota Yaris. The driver was just getting out of his vehicle when Simpson smashed the door off, narrowly missing the motorist's hand. Mr Parton said at one point Simpson stopped the bus in order to put a front grill back on after it had fallen off. A little later he scraped the side of a Nissan Almera travelling in the opposite direction. The driver then pursued the bus, caught it up and caused it to stop by driving in front of it. When quizzed, Simpson gave his real name and also his mobile phone number and the driver also took photos of him and the bus. The Almera driver reported the matter to the police and officers were able to recognise Simpson fromthe photos theman had taken. When he was questioned, Simpson admitted hewas fascinated by buses and had always wanted to drive one. He accepted causing the damage saying that he was "not looking" when the accidents happened. Ronald Parker, defending, said Simpson,who suffered fromAspergers Syndrome, was not thinking straight at the time.

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Fascinated: Mark Simpson took a single decker bus.