An Eden Valley drug driver caught out on the outskirts of Penrith has been fined and banned from the road.
Steven Shannon, 33, came to the attention of officers while behind the wheel of a blue BMW 3 series vehicle at Kemplay roundabout on Saturday, April 3.
Attention was drawn due to his excessive speed, erratic driving and swerving from “lane-to-lane”.
Police stopped the vehicle and spoke to driver Shannon, of Lincross, Langwathby. His eyes were described as “pinpoint” and he constantly interrupted as police spoke.
He failed a roadside drug test. A subsequent blood specimen was taken and showed he was six times the legal limit for class B controlled drug ketamine.
Shannon had two previous criminal convictions for five offences — the last committed in 2013 — none of which were relevant to the current case. He was said to be remorseful for his most recent crime, was a new father for the second time and the sole breadwinner in his family.
After hearing submissions, magistrates fined Shannon £565 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £57 victim surcharge. He was also handed a 23-month driving ban.
