A drug driver has been fined after a blown out tyre on the seafront brought him to the attention of police officers.
Rick OShea, 45, swerved across Kings Road when his tyre failed in August this year, causing a loud bang.
Police officers approached him and found he appeared “heavily impaired” – extremely sweaty and unsteady on his feet and his pupils were dilated.
A roadside drug swab tested positive for cocaine – and officers also found a small amount of cannabis on him.
He first appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court last month, but the prosecution agreed to review the charges after hearing a medical condition was to blame for his unsteady appearance.
OShea was told to return to court today – but was told the charges were still being pressed.
He was also bounced from one courtroom to another after the first was overbooked but six defendants listed in the second failed to appear, leaving that courtroom short of cases.
Defending, Kelly Thomas said: “The flat tyre caused him to swerve. He was trying to move the car over to get it off the road and onto the pavement safely.
“He does accept taking a dab of cocaine earlier that day.”
Chair of the bench Robert McRowan told him: “The bench is sorry to hear about your health problems.
“But this would have affected your driving anyway and you worsened it by the taking of recreational drugs, to the extent you could have caused an accident and problems for someone else.”
OShea, of Lake Drive, Peacehaven, was fined £80 and ordered to pay a £32 court surcharge and £85 in costs.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Rick O’Shea?! He won’t bounce back from that one.
That’s a good one!
I bet he was sweating bullets