Chesterfield cocaine driver who flipped car on A61 banned for two years

Ashley Pickering, 26, was seen overtaking on a bend near the old Chesterfield Hotel before the crash - at around 2.40am on April 7, Chesterfield Magistrates Court heard.

Prosecutor Becky Allsop described how on the morning of the crash - between Whittington Moor and Horns Bridge Roundabout - police found Pickering’s car on the grass verge in its roof.

She said: “There was an ambulance in attendance and a female passenger was injured.”

However later in police custody a blood test showed Pickering was five times over the legal limit for cocaine.

The defendant claimed a VW Scirocco had pulled in front of him, causing him to break sharply - at which point he lost control.

However Ms Allsop added: “CCTV footage does not show a Scirocco pulling in front of him - it shows Mr Pickering overtaking on a bend near Chesterfield Hotel.”

Pickering’s solicitor David Gittins said his client “cannot explain what happened”, adding: “There is no evidence of him speeding or racing. He tells me he occasionally uses cocaine but is adamant he had not used any that evening.”

Mr Gittins said there was also no evidence that the female passenger with Pickering suffered serious injuries.

Pickering, of previous good character, admitted drug driving.

He was handed a 12-month community order with 180 hours of unpaid work and a two-year driving ban.