Sutton boozer tried to hail passing cars thinking they were taxis

A boozed-up Sutton dad who tried to flag down passing cars in the middle of the road thinking they were taxis was later charged with criminal damage and possessing cocaine, a court heard.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

CCTV recorded Thomas Butler trying to stop several vehicles on Sutton Road, in Mansfield, in the early hours of September 10, said prosecutor Neil Hollett.

Just after 3am, a female driver was forced to brake when Butler stepped out in front of her white Audi A5 near the bus station.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He began hitting the car and cracked her wing mirror, before staggering off towards King's Mill Hospital.

CCTV recorded Thomas Butler trying to flag down cars on Sutton Road.CCTV recorded Thomas Butler trying to flag down cars on Sutton Road.
CCTV recorded Thomas Butler trying to flag down cars on Sutton Road.

Distressed, she phoned a work colleague, who was driving on the same road. Butler stepped out in front of him near the Sir John Cockle pub, and asked for a lift to McDonald's.

He was refused and the police were called. At the station, Butler dropped a small bag of cocaine. Magistrates heard he was last in court in 2018.

Ian Pridham, mitigating, said the dad-of-one, who doesn't normally drink, drank too much during a "one-off" night-out in Mansfield.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At some point he was offered cocaine to sober up but couldn’t remember whether he took any or not.

"He ended up by himself without knowing how he was going to get home," Mr Pridham said. “It was a completely reckless act.”

He said Butler was "embarrassed" at the fear he caused the lone female driver, and had "worried himself silly" because he thought he was going to prison.

Butler, 28, of Woodpecker Grove, admitted criminal damage and possessing cocaine, on Thursday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mansfield magistrates fined him £80 with a £34 surcharge, £85 costs and £200 compensation.

Read More
Mansfield cannabis dealer caught with 'treasure trove' of evidence

Editor’s message: Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.