Suspended prison term for trucker found over drink limit
A TRUCKER was disqualified from driving for three years after he was caught behind the wheel of an HGV on a city region road at nearly four times the drink-drive limit.
Neil Myles Hinshelwood, 41, of Onslow Road, Sheffield, was arrested on the A56 Chester Road in Runcorn on October 25, and the resulting blood test revealed a blood alcohol level of 314 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres (mg/dl) – way above England’s 80 mg/dl limit.
Hinshelwood pleaded guilty to drink-driving on December 3.
At North Cheshire Magistrates’ Court in Warrington on Thursday, January 28, he was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months.
He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and up to 10 days on a rehabilitation activity requirement.
Court papers described the alcohol level as “a very high reading in a HGV on a long journey with return”.
The sentence was suspended due to a lack of previous convictions and the defendant’s “perceived ability” to be rehabilitated.
His driving ban can be reduced by 36 weeks upon completing an accredited course.
Hinshelwood was ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 in costs.
Following Hinshelwood’s sentencing, Superintendent Jon Betts, head of Cheshire Constabulary’s roads and crime unit, said: “Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege, not a right, and it comes with great responsibility to act within the rules laid down when you pass your test.
“When you deliberately ignore those rules you put yourself and other people at considerable risk.
“Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is one of the five main contributory factors that cause serious road traffic collisions, with the others being driving carelessly, driving too fast, not wearing a seat belt and driving while using a mobile phone. “Together, these are the Fatal 5.
“We launched our Fatal 5 campaign at the beginning of 2019 to raise awareness of the importance of driving safely, adhering to speed limits and not committing any potentially deadly driving offences.
“The message for motorists is don’t put your life, and the lives of other road users and pedestrians, at risk – slow down, pay attention, wear your seat belt, put your phone down, don’t drink or drug drive and make sure that your vehicle is safe for the roads.”
Cheshire police have been cracking down on unsafe drivers since 2019 when it was revealed more than one person was dying on the county’s roads a week.
The “Fatal5” campaign has targeted the five main causes of collisions: Careless driving, speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, not wearing a seatbelt, and driving while using a mobile phone.