Bulwell drink driver told police 'it's a fair cop'

A Bulwell drink driver whose damaged car was stopped in Ravenshead told police it was 'a fair cop' and he'd had far too much to drink, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

John Wake’s beige Vauxhall Vectra was stopped by police on Kirkby Road, at 2am, on September 5, because the front end had “significant damage”,

“Mr Wake said straight away: “It’s a fair cop. I have had too much to drink and shouldn’t have been driving,” said prosecutor Daniel Pietryka.

A test revealed he had 81 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Wake, 36, of Latham Street, admitted driving with excess alcohol when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.

He was banned for 16 months in May 2007 for drink driving, but because the offence was outside the ten year limit, he escaped an automatic ban of three years.

Mark Stocks, mitigating, said Wake had been out on a night out with friends in Nottingham, and had been planning to stay with a friend, but had become seperated from them, and so went to sleep in his car.

“At the time he was driving he thought he wouldn’t be over the limit,” said Mr Stocks.

Wake was fined £150 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

He was banned for 20 months, but was not offered a drink drive rehabilitation course which would have reduced the disqualification by 25 per cent, because he had already refused it.

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