SECOND B-TEST FAILURE EARNS DAD A THREE-YEAR ROADS BAN
Police snared motorist after check revealed no insurance
DRINK-DRIVER Robert Jones has been banned from the roads after he was caught for the second time in four years.
The 38-year-old was stopped while driving a Vauxhall Zafira in Hartshill Road, Hartshill, at 12.50am on April 23.
Prosecutor Zoe Leese said: “They carried out a check and the car had no insurance. They followed the car through Hartshill and spoke to the defendant.
“He gave a positive roadside breath test and was taken to the police station where the lower reading was 47 micrograms of alcohol in 100 ml of breath, against the legal limit of 35.”
Jones, of Finstock Avenue, Blurton, pleaded guilty to drink-driving and driving without insurance.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard he was previously convicted of drink-driving in 2018.
Robert Holt, mitigating, conceded it was Jones’s second offence of drinkdriving within a 10-year period, which made him subject to the minimum three-year ban.
“The vehicle had no insurance. That alerted the police to this car,” he said.
“He accepts he had a drink that evening when he got in. His son phoned and asked if the defendant could collect him as he was having an argument with his partner. He felt fine and able to drive.
“There was nothing untoward about his driving. It was the fact the vehicle was not insured that brought him to the attention of the officers.”
Magistrates offered Jones the chance to complete a drink-drivers’ rehabilitation course which will lead to a 36-week reduction in the ban. He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £135 costs and a £40 surcharge.