A man caught drug driving in South Shields was caught with a car full of passengers due to his erratic driving, a court has heard.
Prosecutor Laura Croft told South Tyneside Magistrates that police spotted the 21-year-old just after midnight on October 12, 2020.
They saw his car increasing and decreasing speed, and they described him as “displaying poor” driving.
“Officers stopped the vehicle and spoke to the defendant,” continued Ms Croft.
“He appeared to be under the influence of some kind of substance and was given a drug swipe at the roadside.
“He was cautioned and taken to a police station where a test procedure was carried out, which came back for cocaine.
“He’s a gentleman of previous good character, he has no convictions.”
Further tests found the driver to have 800mcg cocaine per litre of blood. The legal drug driving limit is 10mcg.
Defending, Jason Smith disputed the prosecution’s claim that his client was pulled over due to bad driving.
“What he tells me is that he had been to a party with friends and the car had a number of people in it.
“As a consequence, the vehicle is stopped by the police in the early morning.
“It’s a vehicle with a number of young men in it, it is going to attract the attention of the police.
“There was no evidence of crossing the lines of the road or going into street furniture.
“I would say it’s a police officer who has seen a car with young people.”
The currently unemployed driver, who hopes to work in construction, did accept that he had taken cocaine but believed it was out of his system before he drove.
The court also heard that the defendant had not yet applied for even a provisional driving licence.
After pleading guilty to drug driving, magistrates banned the man from driving for 18 months and imposed a fine of “120 plus £85 in court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
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