West Malling man ploughed into parked cars in Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol the night before
A motorist who crashed his car into several parked vehicles tried to make off after drinking and taking cocaine the night before, a court heard. Casey Everitt was seen driving his blue Ford Focus excessively fast in Tonbridge Road, Maidstone[1], late one night last year by the off-duty police officer who heard it crash after speeding out of his view.
The 57-year-old severely damaged his car after it smashed into three parked cars in Queen's Road. When the off-duty officer went to see if anyone needed help, he saw Everitt still sitting in the driver's seat with the door open, the car's windscreen smashed and parts of its engine exposed.
The police were called and the West Malling[2] man was seen getting out of the vehicle and staggering across the road. As a result, the off-duty officer thought he was intoxicated.
Everitt then said he was going to make a phone call around the corner, which the officer said he thought was going to be an attempt from him to make off from the scene. When patrol officers arrived, Everitt was given a roadside breath test which he failed and he was taken to Pembury hospital to get checked over.
Despite initially refusing a blood test, his blood was eventually taken and he gave a reading of 136 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood - the legal limit is 80.
Magistrates also heard he had 24 micrograms of cocaine in 100 millilitres of blood as well as 800 micrograms of benzoylecgonine, which is a cocaine breakdown by-product in his system. The legal limit for cocaine is 10 micrograms and the limit for benzoylecgonine is 50.
Everitt, of Alexander Grove, Kings Hill, West Malling, attended a police interview and told officers the night before he drove he had taken cocaine and had been drinking on the evening he crashed. He was charged with drink-driving, as well as two counts of drug-driving and admitted the offences when he appeared in court in October last year.
A pre-sentencing report was requested and he returned to Maidstone Magistrates' Court to be sentenced on Wednesday, January 3. Victoria Aked, prosecuting, told the court the incident happened just before midnight on March 30, last year.
She added: "An off-duty police officer was walking his dog and spotted the car driving excessively on the Tonbridge Road, towards the A20 and then he heard it crash, when he went to the scene the car was in the middle of the road and three other vehicles had been damaged.
"The door of the Focus was open and a male, now identified as the defendant, was in the seat and part of the engine was exposed and the windscreen was shattered. "He staggered out and was unsteady on his feet and a member of the public saw him walking away from the accident and he said he was going to make a phone call around the corner and the officer thought he was trying to make off from the scene.
"On-duty officers attended and he failed a roadside breath test and he was taken to hospital and initially refused to have his blood taken, but it was later taken.
"He later attended a voluntary interview and told officers he had taken cocaine the night before and had been drinking when he decided to drive home. "He had 136mg in blood and the offence is aggravated by the accident and there is a higher culpability as he had alcohol and drugs in his system. His last conviction was in 1987."
Sara Harroon, defending, said her cilent had suffered from some traumatic tragedies in his adult life and has suppressed a mountain of emotions which came to a head last year with these offences. She added: "He started drinking and taking cocaine to feel better for a brief period of time. "His other conviction is dissimilar and he was walking around the crash site in shock.
"He is fully employed and has stable accommodation and wants to reduce or give up the drink as well, he needs to be in the right mindset and wants to embrace any help.
"He hasn't driven since the accident and the car was written off and an interim ban was given when he entered his guilty pleas." While magistrates deliberated what punishment to give Everitt, he told the bench: "This was totally out of character. I have been a good citizen all my life."
Magistrates told him what he had done that night was a danger to other road users and banned him from driving for 36 months.
He was also placed on a 12-month community order which will see him complete five rehabilitation sessions with probation to get the help he needs and was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
Everitt was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of GBP114 as well as GBP85 court costs.
References
- ^ Maidstone (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ West Malling (www.kentonline.co.uk)