A Brighton man has been banned from driving for nearly two years after being caught behind the wheel of the same car twice in a week having had cocaine.
Stuart Pearce, 32, of Queen’s Park Road, Brighton, pleaded guilty on Thursday (24 September) to driving with more than the legal limit of cocaine in his blood.
Pearce had the equivalent of 200 micrograms of cocaine in a litre of his blood when he was caught in Old London Road, Patcham, on Saturday 8 February. The legal limit is 10 micrograms.
Just five days later on Thursday 13 February he was caught in Dyke Road Avenue, Hove, in the same blue Ford Focus, with the equivalent of 50 micrograms of cocaine in a litre of his blood.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court, Pearce was banned from driving for 22 months and fined £120 for the first offence and £80 for the second.
He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £32, making £317 in total.
Another driver was given a three-year ban by the same court on the same day for drink driving in Mill Road, Brighton, in July.
Barry Deacon, 43, of Robins Quarry, Hassocks, pleaded guilty to drink driving at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.
Deacon had the equivalent of 63 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when he was caught at the wheel of a silver BMW. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
The court imposed a community order, requiring Deacon to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work over the coming year.
He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £95, making £180 in total.
Hazel Dixon, 31, of Cortis Avenue, Broadwater, Worthing, also admitted drink driving when she appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Dixon was in a red Vauxhall Corsa when she was caught in Goldstone Crescent, Hove, with the equivalent of 112 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – more than three times the limit.
She was banned from driving for 26 months and given a community order. She was told to take part in up to 15 days of “rehabilitation activity”.
Dixon was fined £150, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £95, making £330 in all.
