Drink-driver got his car stuck on city tram viaduct
HE ONLY HAD PROVISIONAL LICENCE
A DRUNK driver was caught by police when he got his car stuck on tram tracks after thinking it was a road.
Bright Gyedu Amponsah was three times the legal alcohol limit and driving without valid insurance, licence or care when his vehicle became wedged on the tracks on the Station Street viaduct just after midnight on March 16.
Amponsah got out of the car and put his hazard lights on before trying to push the vehicle out of its awkward position.
But it was to no avail and after a tram had passed in the opposite direction, another came heading straight towards him, at which point the driver rang the police.
The driver described Mr Amponsah as “confused” and “slurring his words”, adamant he could push the car off the tracks because it wasn’t broken down.
Mr Amponsah stayed with the car and co-operated with police when they arrived, blowing an alcohol reading of 106mg per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg per 100ml.
He also only had a provisional licence and – while insured on the car, which was his uncle’s and for learning purposes – he is not legally allowed to drive it on his own.
At his sentencing at Nottingham Magistrates Court yesterday, prosecutor Nicole Baughan said that Mr Amponsah’s driving was “extremely poor” and that the tram lines in that area are “quite obviously” not for the public and are only for trams.
She said: “He could’ve caused quite a serious incident.”
But Rob Keeble, defending, said that it “can be confusing” to know which routes are tram-only, which are caronly and which are multi-use.
He added: “To Mr Amponsah’s credit, he has not fled the scene but has made genuine efforts to free the car, put hazards on, didn’t thereafter do a runner, co-operated with the police and gave the correct details to them.
“He is 24 years old and having only two convictions speaks volumes. He has clearly acted naively and very foolishly.
“He shouldn’t have been driving his uncle’s car in any event. Alcohol disinhibited his thinking. He drank a small bottle of vodka and said he felt OK to drive. He is genuinely remorseful.”
Mr Amponsah’s previous conviction was just a month prior in February, when he failed to provide a sample to police and was slapped with ten penalty points on his licence.
Mr Keeble said his client was due to start employment imminently and earn in the region of £500 per week.
Sentencing him, Magistrate Eleri De Gilbert said: “You are very lucky today. It was some very poor driving and you’re very lucky that a very serious accident didn’t happen. But we’ve heard about your remorse and that you communicated with police at the time.”
Amponsah, of Crown Street, Mansfield, was given a 12 month community order, with 15 days of rehabilitation activity, 100 hours of unpaid work, total costs to pay of £199, further points on his licence and was disqualified from driving for 25 months.
He pleaded guilty on April 4 to driving above the legal alcohol limit, driving without insurance, without a licence and driving without due care and attention.