Bassetlaw boozer’s accelerator problem cost him his job and put his home at risk

John Marshall's Ford transit van was parked at green traffic lights in the middle of Grove Road, in Retford, at 9.50pm, on January 14, said prosecutor Peter Bettany.

When police officers asked him what he was doing, he replied: "I can't seem to find the gear."

A breath test revealed he had 83 microgrammes of alcohol when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

When he was interviewed, he admitted drinking about five pints with his daughter and a friend in the pub and told officers his accelerator wasn't working.

Vicky Clarson, mitigating, said the offence was 'simply a misjudgement' and 'he knew immediately what he had done was wrong.'

She said he relies on his licence and will have to resign from his £2,500-a-month job as a domestic appliance engineer and claim Universal Credit, which will also put his mortgage at risk.

Ms Clarson said Marshall has ‘not had a great deal of luck’ as he suffered a brain hemorrhage and cardiac arrest in 2019, and had to surrender his driving licence for a year for medical reasons.

Marshall, aged 56, of Southfield Drive, North Leverton, admitted drink driving when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday.

He was banned for 20 months but a rehabilitation course will reduce the disqualification by 20 weeks if he completes it before March 2024.

He was fined £120 with a £48 surcharge and £85 costs.