A blind motorist who drink-drove his partner’s car for 150 miles at night and without permission has admitted dangerous driving. Anthony Hall, aged 49, was spotted at 1.45am behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Meriva on the M6 northbound, north of Carlisle, on 29 June.
Cumbria Magistrates Court heard that Hall is registered blind, does not have a driving licence, is not allowed to drive and took the car from a partner without permission. He had driven some 150 miles from Huddersfield when he was spotted by a police officer drifting on to the hard shoulder and from lane one to two.
The prosecution’s account
Prosecutor Suresh Basra told the court: “[The officer] has stopped the vehicle, spoken to Mr Hall and asked whether he had consumed alcohol. He said ‘yes’. He said he went blind about two years ago.”
Hall, of Lees Close, Huddersfield, provided a positive roadside breath test. An evidential police station sample showed 46 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal driving limit is 35mcg.
“He was asked how he managed to drive. He said he was just following HGV lights,” the prosecutor said. He added: “It is a prolonged and persistent course of dangerous driving — a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road.”
There were no injuries or damage caused during the offence.
Guilty pleas entered
In court Hall, who entered court wearing dark glasses and using a white stick, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, taking a vehicle without consent, drink-driving and driving with no insurance or licence.
Defence solicitor Adele Graham asked for the case to be adjourned for preparation of a pre-sentence report. “There are a lot of circumstances, I would submit, that do need to be considered before passing sentence a lot of personal circumstances surrounding Mr Hall’s life and background,” said Miss Graham.
Adjourned for sentencing
Magistrates adjourned the case for a report. Hall is due to be sentenced at Huddersfield Magistrates’ Court on 8 September. In the meantime Hall has been handed an interim driving ban, despite him having no licence.
The offence of dangerous driving carries a mandatory disqualification. The precise length of Hall’s ban is set to be fixed at the sentencing hearing.
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