Church Warsop drink driver spun out of control when passenger spilled milkshake

Police officers were flagged down by a member of the public who reported the incident on St Peter's Way at 11pm on May 19, said prosecutor Becky Allsop.

They found Matthew Edwards' Vauxhall Corsa facing the wrong way and showing signs of ‘significant damage’, she said.

Edwards was ‘slightly unsteady on his feet and speaking very fast’.

A test revealed he had 53 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

Edwards, who is of previous good character, co-operated fully with police, Ms Allsop said.

He told officers he had been playing snooker at Spot On 2 in Mansfield Woodhouse, where he drank about four pints of beer before driving a friend home and stopping off at McDonald's.

"The passenger spilled his milkshake and this distracted him and was the catalyst for the accident," she said.

Representing himself, he said he had learned his lesson and asked for the disqualification to be kept to a minimum as he relies on his vehicle for work.

Edwards, 22, of Tissington Avenue, admitted drink driving when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Magistrates told him the fine would have been £600, but because of his guilty plea it was reduced to £400.

He was ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

Edwards was banned for 12 months, but a rehabilitation course will reduce the disqualification by 91 days if he completes it before January 2022.

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