A Newcastle man was so drunk it's amazing he was able to even to sit in his car, let alone drive it through rush hour traffic on a busy dual carriageway.
Thomas Monkhouse, 38, of Chester Street, Shieldfield, admitted driving a motor vehicle when the amount of alcohol in his breath exceeded the prescribed limit when he appeared recently at Newcastle Magistrates' Court.
This is an offence contrary to section 5(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and has a maximum penalty of 26 weeks' custody and/or a fine at level 5 (unlimited) on summary conviction.
Magistrates heard that a concerned member of the public reported Monkhouse's manner of driving on the early evening of Friday, 29th August 2025.
Lauren Fisher, prosecuting, said: "She said the defendant was driving west along the Coast Road. She noticed the defendant appeared to mount on to the central reservation, narrowly missing contact with the barrier.
"He then crossed three lanes of traffic. He continued to swerve between lanes and drive erratically. The witness contacted the police and provided details to them. Officers attend and arrest the defendant."
Monkhouse was taken to Etal Lane police station, where he provided an evidential specimen containing 171 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - just under five times the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes.
James Rickerby, mitigating, told the court that his client, who has no previous convictions, had severe depression.
"On the day in question, it was a particularly hard day for him. He had been drinking before driving a really short distance," said Mr Rickerby.
"He accepts that's wrong and he's got genuine remorse."
Mr Rickerby told the court that Monkhouse had sought assistance from his GP and Alcoholics Anonymous.
Addressing the defendant, Reverend George Curry JP, Presiding Justice, said: "The top bracket for our guidelines is a breath reading of 120-150. You are 171 - that's 21 above our top bracket of Sentencing Guidelines."
Magistrates ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
Monkhouse was granted unconditional bail until his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, 6th January 2026.
In the meantime, he was made subject to an interim driving disqualification.
A reading of 171 microgrammes might well be the largest to have featured here on Magistrates' Blog. It is firmly in custodial territory. The evidence of associated poor driving is an aggravating feature, which is offset slightly by the fact it was a relatively short journey.
Given Monkhouse's previous good character and apparent mental health difficulties, which are always a big consideration for the court, I suggest it is unlikely he will receive an immediate custodial sentence.
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