A Brighton music student has been banned from the roads after being caught speeding at 124mph after drinking twice the legal amount of alcohol.
Anderson Bell, 25, of Western Road, Brighton, was caught on the A23 at Albourne at the wheel of a silver Volkswagen Golf by officers in an unmarked police car.
Sussex Police said: “A student caught speeding in excess of 120mph while almost twice the drink-drive limit has been convicted.
“At about 1pm on Thursday 30 June officers on patrol in an unmarked vehicle became aware of a silver Volkswagen Golf travelling at speed on the A23 southbound near Albourne.
“They pursued the vehicle and signalled for it to pull over in a layby just past the junction of the A2300.
“The driver, Anderson Bell, was arrested and taken into custody at Brighton Police Station, where he was subsequently charged with driving with 68 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath in his system and speeding.
“The legal drink-drive limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
“The 25-year-old, of Western Road, Brighton, pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on (Thursday) 14 July and was disqualified from driving for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay a £240 fine, £85 costs and a £85 victim surcharge.”
Anderson James Bell, also known as Andy, studied at BIMM (the British and Irish Modern Music Institute) in Brighton and worked at the Waitrose near by in Western Road.
Three other drivers have also been convicted of drink driving in Brighton and Hove in the past fortnight.
Shawgi Hana, 56, unemployed, of Poynings Drive, Hove, was arrested in nearby Amberley Drive, Hove, on Saturday 25 June. He was charged with driving a Renault Laguna with 47 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of his breath.
He pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 18 July and was disqualified from driving for 36 months. He was also ordered to pay a £120 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
Donald Ndebele, 67, a scientist, of Hartington Road, Brighton, was arrested in nearby May Road, Brighton, on Thursday 30 June. He was charged with driving with 57 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of his breath.
He pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 July and was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay a £835 fine.
Janos Bellagh, 34, an electrician, of Camborne Road, Sutton, Surrey, was arrested in Woodland Avenue, Hove, on Saturday 2 July. He charged with driving with 42 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of his breath.
He pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 18 July and was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay a £250 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
Sussex Police said: “To date, a total of 71 motorists have now been convicted as part of Operation Dragonfly, Surrey and Sussex Police’s summer crackdown on drink and drug drivers, which ran from (Monday) 6 June to (Sunday) 10 July.
“People in Sussex can text officers on 65999 with the details of people they suspect of drink or drug driving or visit www.operationcrackdown.co.uk. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
“If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs call 999.”
Lower level of alcohol, unemployed, not apparently driving at 50+mph over limit, yet get 36 mths ban compared to the speeding driver – who makes these irrational decisions, surely there should be a set of rules related to the fines, bans etc.