Pub visits lead to new bans

TWO drink drivers are banned once again from the roads today after getting behind the wheel just after their previous disqualifications ended.

Jonathan Field told South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court it had been the first time he had driven for three years when he was stopped and found to be over the limit.

While Paul Sherman now has three convictions of drink driving after he celebrated the end of his pervious ban at a pub and then drove home.

Field, 44, of Suffolk Sands Caravan Park in Felixstowe was pulled over in Manor Terrace, Felixstowe, on April 14 and found to have 61mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

In 2005 he had been disqualified for 16 months for drink driving.

Dad-of-three Field, who pleaded guilty to drink driving and to driving without insurance, said: “That was the first time I've driven a car in three years. I would like to apologise. I am making some very strange decisions in my life. I have no idea why I did it.”

The port worker, who is currently off sick with depression, was banned from driving for three years and fined �400 for drink driving and �150 for having no insurance. He was also told to pay �60 in costs and a �15 victim surcharge.

Meanwhile Sherman, 31, of Coleridge Road, Ipswich, was also disqualified for three years.

The court heard he had drink driving convictions dating from 1999 and 2006 and had been out celebrating getting his driving licence back when he was caught drink driving for the third time.

On April 7 on the A12 at Woodbridge Sherman was pulled over by police and found to have 50mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The dad-of-four told the court: “I had just moved into a new house and got my driving licence back. I went to the pub to have a drink to celebrate. I pulled out of the pub and got pulled over.”

In addition to his ban cannabis smoker Sherman, who has been jobless for six years because of anxiety and depression, was also given an 18 month community order and told to attend the drink impaired drivers programme and pay costs of �30.

Helen Turner, 58, of Alan Road, Ipswich got behind the wheel of her Red Peugeot after drinking because she had had a stressful day.

She was pulled over by police officers who spotted her driving erratically near Ipswich train station on April 12 and was found to have 68mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Turner, who pleaded guilty to drink driving, told South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court: “I was really upset and that's why I did what I did.”

Magistrates disqualified her from driving for 18 months, fined her �100 and told her to pay a �15 victim surcharge and �60 in costs.

Should more be done to punish drink drivers? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.