Newly released video footage shows a then-Tory councillor speeding on the A27 before being pulled over and fluffing a breath test.
The trial of Joe Miller, who has since stepped down from Brighton and Hove City Council, was shown the footage when it started in March.
During March’s hearing at Brighton Magistrates Court, the prosecution said Miller, 28, deliberately “worked himself up” into a panic attack to avoid giving police blood after he failed the initial breath test.
However the police medic said he thought the panic attack was genuine. The blood test subsequently confirmed he was more than double the limit.
The footage showing Miller’s panic attack at Hollingbury Police Station has not been released to protect his privacy.
But the dashcam footage which shows him tailgating vehicles on the A27 at Hollingbury has been released. The video shows the police car dashboard displaying speeds of almost 90mph as it keeps up with Miller’s BMW.
It also shows Miller saying he feels nervous about doing
“I’m a bit worried I may be over the limit. I don’t know … a glass of wine may be over.
I’ve never been pulled over before and I’m a bit nervous about this … I’ve been shooting today and I had a glass of wine at lunch.”
In other footage not released but shown in court, Miller told police he had no idea how to blow bubbles with a straw or blow up a balloon.
He was arrested for failing to provide a specimen, and once handcuffed and in the car, he was given one last chance to use the breathalyser.
It indicated he was more than twice the limit and he was arrested for drink driving.
He was then taken to the police station, where his defence say proper procedure was not followed when he started hyperventilating, as he was not able to give proper consent to a blood test, which was needed to confirm the roadside breath test.
In footage shown in court, he is seen to calm down and say he understands what he is consenting to as he signs the form – but at other times, he says he is confused and doesn’t know what he’s being asked to consent to.
March’s one-day hearing was due to hear from his legal expert, Joanne Caffrey, who travelled down from Orkney to give evidence.
But Ms Caffrey – who has now made the lengthy trip several times to appear at previous hearings where the trial was adjourned – now has to make the journey once again.
Miller is being defended by John Dye, who previously represented Alan Carr’s ex-husband Paul Drayton on drink-driving charges.
Technical issues mean the CPS and Sussex Police were only able to release the video clips this month. The case continues.
