Mansfield drink-driver could not explain why he got behind the wheel

A Mansfield man who downed a third of a bottle of vodka before driving the short distance home did not have a good reason for getting behind the wheel, a court heard.
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Jason King was spotted drinking from the bottle by a member of the pubic and the police were tipped off at 5.10pm, on May 24, said prosecutor Andrew Conboy.

He was stopped outside his house and immediately admitted the offence, saying: “I know I will be over the limit.”

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A breath test revealed he had 77 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35mcg.

Mansfield Magistrates Court.Mansfield Magistrates Court.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.

The court heard he has a previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol, from February 2018, when he was fined £500 with £300 costs and received a 15-month driving ban.

King, aged 47, of Debdale Way, Mansfield Woodhouse, admitted drink-driving when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court.

King, who represented himself, said: "Obviously I did consume the alcohol. I drove my car 185 metres from the car park adjacent to my house.

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“I did not have a roadside breath test. They did the reading an hour and 35 minutes later. I do apologise.”

When asked why he drove the car, he said: “I really can't answer that. I wish I didn't.”

Magistrates were told that as a result King, who has worked as a mechanical engineer at Ratcliffe power station for 20 years, did not qualify for the special reasons which might have spared him a driving ban.

He was banned from driving for 36 months, fined £700 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £70 surcharge.