A 33-year-old man who crashed into a stone wall before calling the police to report his accident has been banned from the roads for 18 months for drink driving.
The court heard that the supervising technician, described as a “very safe driver” had drunk three to four pints in a pub with his fiancée Katie to celebrate their decision to buy a dog.
The man believed he was OK to drive, but on his way home crashed into a stone wall, writing off his Ford Transit Van and costing him £16,000.
Prosecuting, Stephen Davies told the court that the incident took place at around 8.15pm on July 17.
“Police were called in relation to a road traffic accident that occurred involving a black Ford van. The caller said the driver might have smelt of intoxicants.
“He had a female passenger with him and said he came round a corner, telling officers he had ‘bad luck with the van, to be fair’.”
Officers attending the scene performed a breath test which proved positive for alcohol, and further analysis showed the man to have 69mcg alcohol per 100ml breath. The legal drink driving limit is 35mcg.
Mitigating, David Leathley told the court his client described being in court as “one of the worst moments of his life”.
“He actually called the police himself to report the accident, he had his responsible girlfriend Katie in the car with him,” Mr Leathley said.
“There was debris in the road and they were concerned for the safety of other road users. These are roads down which he travels regularly. He’s on the road a minimum of four-and-a-half hours per day and he’s never had an accident before.
“He has an unblemished driving record, nothing like this has blighted it. He is a very safe driver. He acted out of character.
“He had been with his fiancée to a farm to buy a dog as a family pet and they had cause to celebrate. They called into a pub and had a few drinks over two hours. He thought he was safe to drive but he was considerably over. He is not someone who would habitually drink and drive. He misjudged the amount he’d consumed.”
Discussing the man’s employment, Mr Leathley went on to say: “He’s now a supervisor overseeing a team of 40 technicians. The loss of his licence will hobble his usefulness to the company and while they will review his position he won’t be sacked.
“Katie, his partner, is now 17 weeks pregnant with their first child and he is worried about how he is going to care for her.
“This is a personal tragedy for him and he’s even brought a bag with him to court today as he thinks he is going to be incarcerated. He is a thoroughly decent young man who is going through one of the worst moments of his life right now.”
After pleading guilty to drink driving, magistrates banned the man from driving for 18 months, imposed a fine of £500 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £50 victim surcharge. The ban may be reduced by 18 weeks if he completes the drink driving rehabilitation course.
About Carl Millar
Carl Millar is a highly respected and experienced drink driving solicitor who is the principal of Millars Solicitors.
Carl has been a specialist in road traffic law for many years and represents clients from all walks of life and all over the Country. He is well known for the dogged defending of his clients and robust cross examination of police officers and exert witnesses.
With a wealth of expertise in motoring law Carl is well placed to provide advice over the phone and deal with all road traffic matters in a calm and professional way.
Getting in contact with Carl and Millars Solicitors is really easy. You can call him FREE on 0800 999 5535, or click here to send a confidential message.
