THE young driver of a car, which flipped onto its roof on a bend was on a video call to one of his friends at the time, a court heard.

Brandon Ryan South, 22, of Primmers Place was on FaceTime with a friend when he flipped his blue Renault Clio on its roof on a bend near the Tesco Express in Westbury, near Frogmore Road on Sunday, May 29, damaging a nearby parked car.

"When police arrived at Frogmore Road they saw a blue Renault Clio on its roof and there was a significant amount of glass and bits of bumper on the road," prosecutor Anna Humphrey told North Wiltshire Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

"The driver was also laying on his back, holding his finger in the air which was covered in blood."

According to police, the 22-year-old, who was on his way home from a barbecue, asked if he could be charged for using FaceTime at the wheel.

Speaking under oath, South told the magistrates how he uses his car to get to and from work in Warminster and recalled the events that led to his crash.

He said: "The phone was on my lap when I got in the car, it was not in my hand.

"I have learnt a lot about mobile phones since then - 100 per cent. I just leave it in my pocket now."

The magistrates spared South from a disqualification, as he uses his car to get to and from work in Warminster, but issued him a stark warning and five points on his license.

Passing sentence, chair of the bench Simon Crichton said: "You were extremely stupid to have a mobile phone on your lap and it is something that is very much in the news at the moment. You were lucky to not have caused any injuries but you did do damage to your own car.

"You have been extremely candid with us and we assume that this has had a big effect on your life and has made you a better driver, We are not going to disqualify you but we are going to give you five penalty points on your licence."

South was also fined £180 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £30.