Drink driver, 21, banned after crashing into hedge - The Malvern Observer

Drink driver, 21, banned after crashing into hedge

Malvern Editorial 1st Oct, 2015 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

A MALVERN man has been banned from driving for 14 months after he crashed his car into a hedge and collapsed while over the legal alcohol limit.

Daniel Coombes, of Russell Close, pleaded guilty at Worcester Magistrates’ Court, on Friday (September 25) to driving his Ford Focus with 108 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The limit is 80 millilitres.

Jackie Rogers, prosecuting, told the court people were walking home about 3am on April 5 when they heard a collision on Hanley Road, went to investigate and saw a vehicle crashed into a hedge with the 21-year-old walking next to it.

Coombes collapsed on the floor for a number of seconds and was taken to hospital where the blood reading was taken. He said he thought he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.




Defence solicitor Waleed Khan, said: “Earlier that evening he went to Wetherspoons with his friends. He got a taxi there and a taxi back. While at home he got a phone call from a friend who wanted a lift. He foolishly decided to go and rescue this friend, picked him up and dropped him off and headed home.

“Luckily he was not injured seriously. He did not realise he was over the limit as he did not drink much when he was out.


“He made a foolish decision which is going to cost him his job. He works as a machine operator in a farm that is 30 miles away from his home and he cannot get lift.”

District Judge Cadbury said: “The reading was not particularly high so the disqualification will be relatively short.

“However, there were some aggravating features. You did have a collision with a hedge. It was fortunate you did not have a collision with someone coming the other way.

“It could easily have been more serious than it was.”

Along with the disqualification, Coombes was also ordered to pay a £200 fine, £85 in prosecution costs, a £150 court charge and £20 victim surcharge.

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