Banned motorist drove erratically in McDonald’s car park with child passenger

The exterior of Carlisle Crown Court — Carlisle Crown Court

A banned Carlisle motorist who refused to give a blood test after driving erratically around a McDonald’s car park with a nine-year-old passenger has been jailed.

Police were alerted after members of the public saw an incident outside the Kingstown fast food outlet in the city on January 23. An Audi was being driven erratically and going in the wrong direction around a one-way system.

Two constables attended and, when 49-year-old Mark McGlone got out of his car, he was noted to be stumbling and slurring his words.

A breath test and drugs wipe gave negative readings. But McGlone was suspected of driving while unfit through drugs and, when asked at a police station to provide a sample of blood for analysis, he refused. No medical reason was offered as an explanation.

McGlone, of Bellgarth Square, Carlisle, admitted charges of driving while disqualified, failing to provide the blood specimen and having no insurance.

At the city’s magistrates’ court today (Wednesday), his solicitor said the prospect of a needle being used to extract the blood sample “triggered an emotional reaction” from McGlone after a previous incident. However, it was accepted that was no defence to the crime.

The court heard McGlone had 46 offences to his name, and that he had initially been banned from driving for 12 months in December 2020, for drug-driving, and then for 20 months in May last year for driving while unfit through drugs.

Deputy district judge Timothy Gascoyne jailed McGlone for 12 weeks for his latest offending and ordered him to serve a length driving ban when released. “You have driven into a McDonald’s car park with a lot of traffic and, probably, a lot of young people,” said Mr Gascoyne. “It seems to me the public should be protected from you driving for the next four years.”