Driver who thought he was 'fine' drive loses licence after crash

A West Walton driver has lost his licence after a crash while over the alcohol limit.

Joseph Else, 20, was at the wheel of a Citroen Dispatch which collided with a telegraph pole in Broadend Road, Wisbech.

“When police spoke to him they could tell he was clearly intoxicated,” prosecutor Jacqui Dankyi told magistrates in King’s Lynn on Thursday (4).

“He was unsteady on his feet. There was a passenger in the vehicle.”

Else was arrested and taken to King's Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a precaution.

He then gave a sample which showed 122 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

Else, a self-employed carpenter living in School Road, pleaded guilty to drink-driving on August 21.

In mitigation, he said the accident happened at about 9pm and he’d had about four pints with a restaurant meal at noon that day.

“I thought I’d be fine [to drive] once a few hours had passed,” he added.

A 12-month ban was imposed and Else was fined £300 and ordered to pay £139 in costs and victim surcharge.