Teen drove while double alcohol limit
A TEENAGER’S Christmas Eve celebrations were cut short when police found him behind the wheel while double the legal limit.
Joshua Coates made the ‘foolish’ decision to drive home following a night out at The Junction pub in Marsh.
This cost the apprentice engineer his licence for a year and a half.
He pleaded guilty to driving while over the prescribed limit when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
Vanessa Jones, prosecuting, said that in the early hours of December 25 police spotted his Ford Fiesta travelling along Abbott Street in Marsh.
Because of the time of night they decided to pull 19-year-old Coates over and when they spoke with him they could smell alcohol on his breath.
He was arrested following a positive test at the roadside and taken to Huddersfield Police Station. There, further tests showed he had 77 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. This is more than double the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Jonathan Slawinski, mitigating, explained that his client had only been driving for two years.
He said: “He lives in Oakes and had been down The Junction pub for Christmas Eve celebrations.
“It was the usual plan to leave the car and get a taxi or walk back home for Christmas Day.
“He made the foolish decision to drive home. It was a bad, poor error of judgement and clearly he’s going to pay the price for that.
“All he can do is apologise to the court.
“When police stopped him he was co-operative. He was a model prisoner and caused no problems.”
Mr Slawinski explained that the impact on Coates of losing his licence will be severe as he is in his third year as an apprentice engineer.
Magistrates banned Coates, of Goldington Avenue, Oakes, from driving for 18 months.
He was fined £300 and will have to pay £85 court costs plus £32 victim surcharge.