A drink driver who was caught more than three times over the legal limit has been banned from the roads for almost two years.
Jason Lawes, 52, of Kings Worthy, Hampshire, appeared at Salisbury Magistrates Court for sentencing last week (22nd April 2021) after pleading guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit.
He was disqualified from driving for 23 months, fined £400 and ordered to pay £300 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.
Officers were called to a garden centre in Landford, south of Salisbury, in December 2019 due to concerns about someone driving while intoxicated.
Lawes was breathalysed at the scene and provided a sample of 126 micrograms, meaning he was more than three times the legal limit.
He was arrested, but insisted that he had not driven while drunk.
He initially said that he had been dropped off at the garden centre by someone else, but CCTV showed him driving into the car park and getting out of the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Lawes then admitted to officers that he had bought a bottle of vodka at a nearby shop but had not drunk any of it until he had finished driving and arrived at the garden centre.
A local crime investigator carried out detailed enquiries, including visiting the shop where the alcohol had been purchased and viewing further CCTV footage from the garden centre.
This proved that Lawes had purchased the vodka and must have drunk it either before driving or during the car journey, as he was already intoxicated, swaying and bumping into things, as soon as he exited his vehicle.
PC Mark Douglas, from the Salisbury Area Community Policing Team, said, “This was a fantastic piece of police work, with this particular local crime investigator carrying out extensive enquiries to compile the evidence needed to prove that Lawes had broken the law.
“Drink driving is a serious offence and we know that it is one of the fatal four – the top main causes of serious or fatal road traffic collisions.
“We would always encourage people to report any concerns or suspicions to us so they can be fully investigated.”
If you are suspicious that some is regularly driving dangerously or under the influence of alcohol, then please call 101 and give as much information as possible, including the driver's details or description and their car registration.
If you believe that a crime is being committed and somebody is already behind the wheel then please call 999.
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