A HAPLESS criminal smashed a digger through a fence in a plan to pay off his debts, a court heard.

Claudio Devito and two others took the digger from a builder's yard in Dacres Road, Forest Hill, at around 12.45am on March 7.

The trio were captured on CCTV trying to drive the £30,000 digger from the yard and police were called to the scene, Greenwich Magistrates’ Court heard on March 10.

After smashing straight through the yard fence, the vehicle was driven through the streets of Forest Hill towards Perry Vale, Catford.

A lorry had been parked in a nearby road ready to pick up the digger but the police managed to stop it in Woolstone Road.

After stopping, Devito, the only person in the vehicle, jumped from the cabin.

However, the waiter had failed to stop the digger and it rolled down the road before veering to the side, crashing into a BMW and a Nissan Micra and causing £5,000 worth of damage.

The court heard Devito had taken the vehicle to help pay off his debts.

Lyn Prosser, mitigating, said: “On this occasion he seems to have come under the influence of people more criminally sophisticated than himself.”

Mr Prosser said the 24-year-old’s mother had promised she would do all she could to keep her son out of trouble in future.

The court heard Devito had two convictions for driving while disqualified.

District judge Angus Hamilton said the difference this time was the defendant had been taking "a very expensive motor vehicle which was then used to cause damage to other people’s private property”.

Devito, of Whitefoot Lane, Downham, was given 18-week jail terms, to run concurrently, for driving while disqualified and aggravated vehicle taking.

He had pleaded guilty to both charges.

Devito was also banned from driving for 12 months.