THE £384 fine for a drink-driver who ploughed into a family's home while they slept has been met with a wave of outrage.

Leading figures and neighbours of the Bell family - whose lives have been turned upside down by the devastation to the property have spoken of their anger that the impact on his victims appeared to be overlooked in court.

Echoing the frustration of residents in Parkside, Darlington, Ron Hogg, Police, Crime and Victims Commissioner for Durham, said Aaron Stanton's sentence for attempting to drive after drinking six pints, highlighted glaring inadequacies in the criminal justice system.

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman said: “I honestly cannot believe that the drunk driver of a car that crashed into the kitchen of a house where a child was sleeping gets £384 fine and a 20-month ban. It's a joke.”

Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Brian Jones, who is also a Durham Police and Crime Panel member and ex-traffic officer, added: “It is a paltry punishment which sends out entirely the wrong message.”

The 25-year-old, who Newton Aycliffe magistrates heard got behind the wheel after finding a lengthy queue at a Darlington taxi rank on January 10, hit a roundabout and smashed into Susan Bell and her husband Steve's house.

Stanton, of Neasham Road, Darlington, who was also banned from driving for 20 months, fled the scene, but a police dog traced his scent to his house.

The court was told the severity of the structural damage meant the family would have to move out of their home for several months while it was repaired.

Under Crown Prosecution Service guidelines, magistrates are advised to pass the “appropriate sentence” by considering the offence, the offender and the impact on the victim.

On learning of Stanton's sentence, neighbours of the affected house expressed concern that victims in the case were barely mentioned in court.

One, whose name is withheld, said: “He’s lucky to get away with punishment he’s got and very fortunate he did not kill anyone or even himself.

“The victims’ suffering has not been taken into account. Their lives have been turned upside down, their home ruined, yet he gets away with a small fine and a driving ban. He’ll be very relieved as the 20-month ban will be gone in no time."

Another neighbour, Greg Pattison, said: "It was an ill-informed judgement which has had some catastrophic consequences.

“The sentence and penalty is what it is with our justice system and in line with guidelines. But what shocked myself and my partner more was the lack of victim impact with the court.

“There was a mention of the damage to the property, but not to the extent of this material damage or its subsequent impact to the family on all levels.

“We came off lightly compared to our neighbours whose lives have been turned upside-down. I just find it difficult to stomach that the impact on the victims was not taken into account.”

Mr Hogg said he felt it was unsatisfactory that Stanton would not have to face his victims and planned to visit the Bells to discuss ways to assist them.

He said: “Sadly, within the criminal justice system, victims are often ignored and that is why we are trying to put them more and more at the heart of what we do, so that the impact the incident had on them is recognised.

“In court, a lot of victims feel that the process focuses on offenders and we want to rebalance that so that the victim gets a say.

“The restorative justice work we are doing is about empowering victims so that they can confront an offender and say this is how is how your behaviour has affected me.

“They might be given a fine to pay, but they’re not putting the offender there to confront their issues or their victim.”