Drink-drive teenager banned from the road

A teenager who has been driving for just over a year has been banned from the road after he was caught 'less than one pint' over the drink-drive limit.
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Scales of justice

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Wednesday, March 9, how Ryan Kinton, 18, of Woodside Place, Clay Cross, had only had a couple of drinks when he left a friend’s home and was stopped by police.

Prosecuting solicitor Sarah Haslam said: “The defendant was seen driving a Fiat Punto after midnight on February 20 as it left the M1 motorway.

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“It was seen by officers approaching a roundabout at the bottom of a slip road and it exited at a shop and did a u-turn at the junction to re-enter the roundabout and police became suspicious and stopped the car.

Police said they could smell alcohol on Kinton’s breath and he failed a drink-drive test.”

Kinton recorded 43microgrammes of alcohol in 100milllitres of breath which exceeded the legal limit of 35microgrammes after he was stopped on Rectory Road, Duckmanton.

The defendant, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to exceeding the alcohol drink-drive limit.

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Defence solicitor Rebecca Meadows said he had been with a friend and had only had a couple of cans of lager and he registered as a low reading.

Ms Meadows added that driving is crucial to keeping his job with a construction company and he uses the car to help his disabled mother.

District Judge Andrew Davison described the circumstances as a sad case because Kinton was “less than one pint” over the legal drink-drive limit but he could not condone any breach of the drink-drive limit.

Kinton, who told the court he has had a full driver’s licence for over a year, was fined £220 and ordered to pay a £22 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months but if the defendant takes the drink-drive rehabilitation course this disqualification could be reduced to nine months.