Northumberland Man Almost Five Times Over Drink Drive Limit

A Northumberland man has avoided prison by the narrowest of margins after being convicted of driving whilst almost five times the drink drive limit.

Jonathan Skinner, 35, of Coronation Crescent, Belford, admitted a charge of driving whilst over the prescribed limit when he appeared at Mid and South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court earlier this week.

It is an offence under section 5(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for a person to drive a motor vehicle after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in their breath exceeds the prescribed limit (35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath). The maximum penalty for the offence is 26 weeks' custody and/or an unlimited fine.

Magistrates heard that Skinner was witnessed driving a Ford Transit tipper van when it crashed into a parked Mercedes on Bell Road, Belford on Thursday, 16th July 2020.

The owner of the Mercedes turned up shortly afterwards and could see that Skinner was drunk, so removed the keys to the Transit and called the police.

By the time the police arrived Skinner had walked away from the scene. Suspecting he was under the influence of alcohol, officers asked him to undertake a roadside breath test. On failing that test Skinner was arrested and transported to the police station.

He subsequently provided an evidential specimen containing 164 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which was almost five times the prescribed limit.

Iain Jordan, prosecuting, said: "There was a sound of metal impacting upon metal and the witness saw that the pick-up, driven by the defendant, had scraped along the side of a parked Mercedes.

"It was clear there had been a collision as there was fresh scratches on the side of the Mercedes and the witness saw that the defendant was clearly intoxicated through alcohol."

Mr Jordan, who described the alcohol reading as being off the scale, told the court that Skinner had two previous convictions for drink driving from 2006 and 2011. He also had a previous conviction for failing to provide a specimen of breath in 2004.

Matthew Purves, mitigating, said: "He spent some time in the Armed Forces where he was injured and, in coming out, he started drinking and thinking more heavily about certain failures and aspects of his life, which had caused him difficulties.

"That seems to have been a problem developing and growing for years and years. There's occasional intervention of a conviction.

"What seems to have happened this time is he's drinking much more heavily, unhealthily and at a more regular rate. Up until this time, he never realised or accepted he had a problem."

Magistrates heard that in the months since the offence Skinner had taken positive steps to address his drinking, including his attendance at alcohol rehabilitation sessions.

They sentenced him to 19 weeks' custody suspended for 2 years and disqualified him from driving for a period of 5 years.

He was also ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and £128 victim surcharge.