Louth learner driver had cannabis in system

A driving lesson hit the skids for a learner after he was found to have cannabis in his system.

And because his L plates had ‘blown off’, Reece Jones was also driving without insurance or the correct licence.

Boston Magistrates’ Court was told that the 31-year-old was also in possession of cannabis when a BMW he was driving was stopped by police along Brackenborough Road in Louth on November 11 last year.

“The defendant was stopped driving a vehicle belonging to another other person who was in the car,” prosecutor Turan Sunat said.

“The owner said insurance was in place which covered the defendant.

“But he doesn’t have a driving licence and because there were no L plates the insurance was invalid.

“He (the owner) said he had L plates but they must have blown off in the wind.”

Mr Sunat added that police did spot L plates in the car.

“I’m not sure oif they had spares,” he added.

Following a roadside swab Jones tested positive for cannabis.

He gave a reading of 3.8 micrograms per litre of blood, almost double the legal limit of 2mcg.

“The defendant volunteered to police that in his jacket pocket he had a small quantity of cannabis,” Mr Sunat said.

At court on Wednesday, Jones pleaded guilty to drug driving, possession of a class B drug, driving without third party insurance abd driving otherwise in accordance with a licence.

Defending Jones, Helen Coney said her client had not intended to drive illegally.

“He was a named driver on the insurance policy but the magnetic L plates came off,” she said.

“He’d not done anything wrong intentionally. He set off to do things correctly.

“Mr Jones is a cannabis uder but he’s trying to cut down and hopefully stop altogether.

“His motivation stems from being a father and he is due to become a father again later this year.”

In court, Jones, of Mount Pleasant Avenue, Louth, also admitted a further charge of driving a Volkswagen Golf while disqualified along Bowl Alley Lane in Horncastle on March 28.

Mr Sunat told the court this was a ‘vehicle spot check, as simple as that’.

Mrs Coney explained her client didn’t realise he had been banned from the roads.

“He had been homeless for a period of time and was sofa surfing,” she continued.

“The DVLA didn’t have his current address so he didn’t know he had been disqualified due to the totting up procedure. This was not a deliberate act.”

For drug driving, Jones, who received universal credit, was banned from the roads for 12 months and fined £120.

The driving whilst disqualified charge saw him receive a six-month ban to run concurrently, as well as a £120 fine.

He was also fined £80 for cannabis possession and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and £85 costs - an overall total of £533.

There were no separate penalties for driving without insurance and driving otherwise in accordance with a licence.