Yewdale Road crash driver in Carlisle over the alcohol limit

When the investigating police officers caught up with 33-year-old Daniel Spiers, he made matters worse by resisting the officers trying to arrest him, the city’s Rickergate court heard. The defendant, of Whernside, admitted drink driving and two counts of resisting a constable. Prosecutor Lee Dacre outlined the facts.

He said that police were alerted shortly after 11am on October 21 when a resident reported a crash in Yewdale Road, Carlisle, with the vehicle involved, a Vauxhall Corsa, having damaged a fence. “Witnesses named the defendant as the driver,” said the prosecutor. By the time police arrived at the scene, Spiers had driven away from the scene.

When they arrived at his home, they found the car parked outside, its bodywork showing damage consistent with being caused by the accident. An initial roadside breath test showed that Spiers had an alcohol reading of 94mcg in every 100mls of breath. The legal limit for driving is 35mcg.

A later “evidential test” at the police station yielded a reading of 80mcg, more than twice the legal limit for driving. When he was arrested, said Mr Dacre, Spiers had appeared to “lash out”, moving towards the officers. But the prosecutor accepted this was an attempt to resist rather than an assault.

Anthony Wilson, defending, told magistrates: “It was a case of the drink talking and the drink acting. He apologises for that and made admission during his interview and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. “He is completely remorseful.

Frankly, he thought that he’d grown out of this type of behaviour.” The lawyer said that the fence that was damaged belongs to the defendant’s uncle and Spiers had agreed to pay for the damage. On the day in question, said Mr Wilson, Spiers drove only a short distance.

The inevitable driving ban would mean that Spiers, who works as a drainage engineer, would no longer be able to do the school run or drive his partner to work.

Magistrates imposed fines and costs totalling GBP855 and banned the defendant from driving for 20 months.

They offered Spiers the drink driver rehabilitation course which will reduce the ban by 20 weeks if completed by a deadline.