Bourne teenager banned from roads for drug-driving

An 18-year-old man from Bourne has been banned from the roads for 12 months for drug-driving.

Jack Golding was arrested in the town’s Stephenson Way after an earlier tip-off to police that his car smelt of cannabis.

The teenager was found to be nearly four times the legal limit for a cannabis metabolite.

Michael Little, prosecuting at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, said: “On March 30 at about 7pm, two police officers were approached by a member of the public in South Street, saying there was a strong smell of cannabis coming from a Vauxhall Corsa.

“There were no occupants inside at that time.

“Later, the officers were travelling on the A15 when they saw the same car heading from Morton towards Bourne. The vehicle stopped on Stephenson Way and there were three other males in the vehicle.”

Golding, of Kelso Drove, gave a drug wipe positive for cannabis and cocaine.

An evidential test following his arrest showed 7.7 micrograms of a cannabis body-breakdown product per litre of blood in his system. The prescribed limit is two.

Michele Elvin, mitigating, said her client was “shocked” that the roadside test had indicated the presence of cocaine as he hadn’t had any.

“He does use cannabis on the very odd occasion and he had done on that occasion with friends,” she added. “He didn’t think he was under the influence while driving.”

Golding’s employer had written an “excellent” reference but the court heard that it was likely he would lose his job due to travel difficulties from the disqualification.

The defendant was also fined £120 and ordered to pay £133 in costs and victim surcharge.