More drink-drivers convicted

More people have been taken off the road after the latest round of convictions for drink and drug-driving.
Police are publishing the names of suspected drink driversPolice are publishing the names of suspected drink drivers
Police are publishing the names of suspected drink drivers

Sussex Police said Mark Jones, 36, a manager, of Langton Road, Broadwater, was arrested in Langton Road, Broadwater, on December 2, 2017, and charged with being in charge of a vehicle with 46mg cocaine and 800mg benzoylecgonine (the main metabolite of cocaine) per litre of blood in his system.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on January 23, he received ten penalty points on his driving licence. He was also ordered to pay a £80 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

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Petronel Boureanu, 41, a factory worker, of Homefield Road, Worthing, was arrested in Brighton Road, Shoreham, on December 10, and charged with failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, Sussex Police said.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on January 12, he was disqualified from driving for 17 months. He was also ordered to pay a £450 fine, £85 costs and a £45 victim surcharge.

Melanie Ford, 50, a production controller, of Granville Road, Littlehampton, was arrested in Granville Road, Littlehampton, on December 29, and charged with driving with 103mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath in her system, Sussex Police said.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on January 16, she was disqualified from driving for 26 months and sentenced to a 12-month community order. She was also ordered to pay a £334 fine, £85 costs and a £85 victim surcharge.

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Tom Stride, 31, a cavity wall insulator, of Titch Hill, Sompting, was arrested in Bostal Road, Steyning, on January 1, and charged with driving with 59mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath in his system, Sussex Police said.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 16 January, he was disqualified from driving for 40 months. He was also ordered to pay a £120 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

A total of 195 arrests were made during Surrey and Sussex Police’s Christmas crackdown on drink and drug-drivers, which ran from December 1 to January 1.

So far, 75 people have been convicted and a further 30 have been charged to appear before magistrates. The rest have either been released without charge, bailed or released under investigation.

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Superintendent Chris Moon, head of the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “The only way you can safely guarantee you are under the limit is to consume zero alcohol.

“If you’re going to an event where you’ll be having a drink – even if it’s just one – plan ahead and make the necessary arrangements to ensure you’re not in a position where there’s a chance you could be over the limit. Book a taxi, take public transport or arrange a lift with someone who is sober.

“All too often people assume it is acceptable to drive having had ‘just one drink’. However if you are stopped, breathalysed and blow over the limit, there is no defence for ‘just one drink’. Alcohol affects people in different ways, and our advice to stay safe is to drink OR drive; never both.”

Sussex Police say there is no fool-proof way to consume any amount of alcohol and stay under the drink-drive limit. The effects vary from person to person and depend on a number of factors.

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Supt Moon added: “Alcohol takes time to process and leave your body. This means if you drink at lunch time, you may be unfit to drive that evening. Or if you drink in the evening, you may be unfit to drive the next morning.

“There’s no quick way of sobering up. Drinking coffee or taking a cold shower won’t help. If you are in any doubt, don’t drive. We can assure you it’s not worth the risk.”

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the legal limit for drivers is 35mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, 107mg of alcohol per 100ml of urine.

People in Sussex can text officers on 65999 with the details of people they suspect of drink or drug-driving, or visit the Operation Crackdown website.

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Alternatively, you can visit the Crimestoppers website or contact the independent charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs, call 999.