[A] man who has driven on the roads since he was 17, with only a provisional driving licence, has appeared in court and admitted a drink-driving charge.
Magistrates in Carlisle were told how a police officer witnessed a blue ford Fiesta with no lights on swerve while driving along Dalston Road in Carlisle in the early-hours April 27.
When the car was stopped the court was told the officer smelt what he thought was intoxicants on the driver’s breath and his speech was slurred.
Paul Stone, 37, failed a road-side breath test and was arrested.
Stone gave a further breath sample at the police station, this gave a reading of 89-microgs of alcohol in 100ml of breath which is over twice the legal limit of 35mg, he also pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle not in accordance with the licence, he only had a provisional and was alone in the car, he also admitted to having no third party insurance.
Laura Harper defending said her client of St James Road in the city was originally from the Oxford area and had family down there, but now has another family and was living in Carlisle, around two-weeks ago he fell down the stairs and suffered concussion, and feels this and drink caused a memory loss of the incident, magistrates were told Stone feels “embarrassed” to be in court the lawyer said Stone had never got round to taking a driving test.
Stone was disqualified from the roads for 22-months for the three-offences and was fined a total of £540 with prosecutions costs of £85 and a victims surcharges of £54, he was offered to attend a drinks drivers awareness course which could reduced has ban but 22-weeks.
