Drink-driver banned after police tip-off
A DRINK-DRIVER was caught after a member of the public witnessed him getting into his car smelling of alcohol.
Kirklees Magistrates’ Court was told that police stopped Richard Tinker’s Citroen van in Scholes, Holmfirth, on December 8.
Prosecutor Alex Bozman said: “The officers responded to a call from a member of the public saying that they had seen a man getting into the vehicle smelling of alcohol.”
Tinker was arrested and taken to Dewsbury police station where breath tests showed that he had 52 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
Magistrates in Huddersfield were told that the 43-year-old had a previous conviction for drink-driving dating back to July 2012.
Daniel Metcalfe, mitigating, explained that his client had gone to the pub to pay £20 he owed to another man.
He said: “He’d drunk one Belgium lager but doesn’t typically drink because he has stomach problems he receives medication for.
“Police were then tipped off that he was driving the vehicle.
“He felt fine to drive but accepts that he wasn’t. He’s ashamed of his actions - he feels very foolish.”
Magistrates banned the builder, of Moorlands in Scholes, from driving for three years because of his previous conviction.
He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs plus £30 victim surcharge.