A man repaid a woman's offer of a lift by stealing her car and crashing it.

Micheal Paynter pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court yesterday, to taking Ms Lynn Phillips' car without her consent and driving it while he was impaired.

The Court heard from Crown counsel Larissa Burgess that the two had made a few stops at various bars on August 22, before Ms Phillips stopped for gas at the Crawl Hill Esso TigerMart.

Ms Phillips went into the store and left Paynter in the passenger's seat.

While she was in the store, Paynter got out of the passenger's seat into the driver's seat and drove off in the car and soon after collided with a pole.

Ms Phillips reported to Police that Paynter stole her car. When Police arrived on the scene they noticed that the St. George's man was unsteady on his feet and asked him if he had been drinking. He said: "Yes, I'm guilty and I had a few."

Police noticed Paynter's speech was slurred and he smelled of intoxicants.

He was arrested and taken to Police station for questioning where he said that he had nothing to say.

The 46-year-old told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner that this is the first time he had every put himself in this predicament and apologised to the court.

He said: "I apologise for this. I just couldn't understand why I was driving this car.

"I haven't driven a car for years, because I don't think it's safe."

He said that he believes that someone must have put something in his drink because he was not drinking that much and he does not recall any of the events of him stealing the car.

Mr. Warner fined him $500 for stealing the car, $1000 for impaired driving. He was also disqualified from driving all vehicles for 12 months and awarded 10 demerit points.

In addition he was given 12 months to pay Ms Phillips $3000 compensation or the actual amount for the damages to the car, which ever is the higher amount.