Drunk chef will lose job after driving in Mansfield

CCTV operators saw Kenneth Murphy staggering as he got into his car, and he was stopped by police on St Peter's Way, at 1am, on March 29.

He was tested at the roadside, showing he had 83 mcgs of alcohol in his system, when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

But when he was asked to provide formal evidence at the station, "he didn't blow hard enough to make the machine register," said prosecutor Robert Carr.

The court heard he has a previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol from 2013.

Probation officer Cheryl Nisbet said he took a risk after drinking with a friend.

She said he had no concerns about his drinking, but he would lose his job because of the inevitable ban.

Anita Pidcock, mitigating, said the chef, who works at the White Post Farm, Farnsfield, would move back to his mother's house.

Murphy, 32, of Milton Street, Loughborough, admitted failing to provide a specimen when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

He was banned for 40 months, but was offered a drink driver rehabilitation course which will cut the disqualification by 43 weeks if completed before September 2021

He was given a 12 month community, with 100 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £85 costs and an £85 surcharge.