A FELIXSTOWE man has been banned from the road for three years after a second drink-driving conviction in two years.South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard that John Dugdale, 23, of Mill Lane, Felixstowe, had not drunk for 'over an hour' and considered himself to be sober when he was stopped by police in Heath Road, Ipswich, on December 1.
A FELIXSTOWE man has been banned from the road for three years after a second drink-driving conviction in two years.
South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard that John Dugdale, 23, of Mill Lane, Felixstowe, had not drunk for 'over an hour' and considered himself to be sober when he was stopped by police in Heath Road, Ipswich, on December 1.
Prosecuting, Naomi Turner said Dugdale had been spotted undertaking a line of cars on the inside lane of the dual carriageway section of the road.
The officer that saw this considered it to be an unusual manoeuvre for someone to make while a marked police car was present, and smelled alcohol on him when he pulled him over.
A test recorded 56 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - one and a half times the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
Craig Marchant, mitigating, said: “He felt that he had calculated he would be under the limit by the time he got into his car.
“He had not had a drink for over an hour.
“I have explained to him since then that you cannot calculate yourself to a fine degree if you are over or under the limit.
“It was not an intentional offence, in that respect.”
Dugdale has one previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol, having already had his licence taken away in 2005.
Because of this, presiding magistrate Susan Henney said she had no choice other than to impose the mandatory penalty for a second offence, a three-year ban.
He was also fined £50, ordered to pay costs of £60 and a victim surcharge of £15.
The Evening Star has pledged to report details of all driving offences involving alcohol during December and early January as part of the Name and Shame campaign.
Are sentences for drink drivers tough enough? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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