A 19-year-old man has appeared before Leicester Magistrates for drink driving after he gave his drunk friend a lift home while he himself was drunk.
The court heard that on 4 December CCTV operators spotted the teenager driving erratically in the city centre and alerted the police.
Prosecuting, Sukhy Basi said: “The defendant was seen by CCTV operators driving a black Range Rover, accelerating very quickly and slamming on the brakes for no reason and parking up on the pavement.
“The police were dispatched and when they arrived he was detained by the officers. The officers smelled alcohol and he was breathalysed.”
The test gave a positive result for alcohol, however once in custody, the defendant failed to blow properly into the breathalyser, meaning an evidential sample could not be obtained. The roadside sample, however, gave a reading of 49mcg alcohol per 100ml breath. The legal limit for drink driving is 35mcg.
The defendant complained that the machine was broken, however, Mr Basi said that it was not, leading to a charge of failing to provide a specimen rather than drink driving, in addition to the other two charges.
Mr Basi also asked the court to consider the man’s previous convictions, adding: “It’s not a good record in relation to driving matters.”
Representing the defendant, Duncan Jefferson said: “The vehicle he was driving was not his motor vehicle. It belonged to a friend who had been out in town and had consumed too much alcohol to drive home and asked my client to pick them up – clearly a grave error of judgement.”
He added that his client had just been accepted onto a college access course in business finance, scheduled to start the day after his court appearance.
After pleading guilty to failing to provide a specimen, driving without a licence, and driving with no insurance, magistrates jailed the man for six months and ordered him to pay a £154 victim surcharge on his release.
Mr Jefferson said: “This will have a devastating effect on the future that he has tried to build for himself.”
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.
