Drunken cyclist caught riding on M60 – to visit his nan in hospital
RIDER WHO HAD LAGER, CIDER AND ‘A FEW OTHER BITS’ TELLS COURT: I AIN’T GONNA BE DOING THIS AGAIN AT ALL
A DRUNKEN cyclist was caught riding along the hard shoulder of the M60 – telling police he was going to see his gran in hospital.
Aaron Quinn, 28, was spotted by officers travelling down the slip road onto the motorway in February.
Other motorists had reported him to the police, Manchester magistrates court heard.
As the officers proceeded towards junction 17, they pulled up in front of Quinn on the hard shoulder. He was said to be wearing all black and no lights were illuminated on his bike.
After pulling him over, officers could smell alcohol on his breath and following a roadside breath test, the lowest reading was said to be 60 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal driving limit is 30 milligrams.
Quinn told officers he was riding along the motorway in order to get to
Warrington because his gran had been admitted to hospital.
He also admitted drinking two lagers, two ciders and ‘a few other bits.’
Quinn pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of a pedal cycle, being excluded traffic on a special road and two offences of using a pedal cycle when the retro reflectors were not fitted.
Prosecuting, Stacey Morrow said an officer became aware of Quinn on the bike on February 25, when he was seen riding along the slip road.
“The officer said he was made aware of the area from the emergency Highway England illuminated signs that indicated the speed limit was 50mph,” Ms Morrow told the court.
“Other road users reported the pedal cycle. He proceeded towards Junction 17 and when he arrived he saw the defendant on his pedal cycle along the hard shoulder of the motorway.
“He described him to be dressed all in black and said no lights were illuminated on the bike at all.”
The officer pulled in front of the bike causing it to stop. After approaching him, he described smelling intoxicants on Quinn.
Quinn was said to have 26 previous convictions for 26 offences, including travelling on a railway without paying, being drunk and disorderly and assaulting an emergency worker.
Mitigating, Suzanne Dooley asked the court to be lenient in sentencing Quinn, adding that he had cooperated fully with the police at the roadside.
“On the day in question, the defendant has received some terrible news in relation to his grandmother who was diagnosed with terminal cancer,” she said.
“He accepts he started drinking and the reason why he was on the motorway was he was making an attempt to cycle to see her. He accepts he was extremely upset and wasn’t thinking straight.”
Sentencing Quinn, Manchester JP Mrs Johnston said: “To be honest, this is a really unusual offence, I don’t think we’ve ever seen this before. You put your own life in danger here, that’s the thing we want you to take home.”
Speaking from the dock, he replied: “I ain’t gonna be doing this again at all.”
Quinn, of Heather Close, Birchwood, Warrington, was fined £100, and ordered to pay £85 costs and £34 victim surcharge.