A DRUG driver crashed his friend’s car while treble the limit for cannabis as he tried rush home because his dog had got free.

Sonny Shaw had been visiting pals in Colchester when he received a message saying his beloved pet had got out of his house in Austin Avenue, Jaywick.

He was given the go ahead to drive a Vauxhall Corsa back home, however, when approaching busy traffic in Cowdray Avenue he misjudged the distances between cars as he tried to shift lanes and another car pulled out of a side road.

He crashed with a van.

The shunt saw the Ford Transit collide with a car in front.

Shaw, 31, panicked and then drove off making it as far as St Andrew’s Avenue before abandoning the car and making off on foot.

He was arrested by police officers shortly afterwards.

At Colchester Magistrates’ Court, Shaw admitted drug driving having had delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – a cannabis derivative – in his system.

He also admitted failing to stop after an accident, driving without insurance, a licence or insurance for the incident in June.

Shaw told probation he had smoked a small amount of cannabis after the crash to calm his nerves but accepted he may have still been over the limit given he is was a regular recreational user.

Paul Baker, mitigating, said: “He is somebody who suffers from severe anxiety and depression and has been diagnosed with that for a number of years.

“He was in Colchester visiting friends.

“He had two dogs but one had died the week prior.

“On that day he got a call saying the other dog had got out and was running loose in the streets.

“At that point he had a panic about the situation and was worried about his dog.

“He borrowed one of his friend’s cars when the accident occurred.

“When he crashed, again, he panicked. If he had thought then he would have stopped but continued driving a relatively short distance

“He acted in a spontaneous but foolish way.”

Magistrates handed Shaw a community order with 120 hours of unpaid work to be completed within the next year.

He must also complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Shaw, who only has a provisional licence, is now banned from getting behind the wheel for 18 months.

He must pay £195 in court charges.