Wisbech woman given second drug-driving ban after Emneth stop

A drug-driver has been banned from the roads for a year – her second disqualification in three months.

Jodie-Lee Leverett was before King's Lynn magistrates last November, when she was banned for 18 months for a drug-driving offence committed in August 2018.

But she was back in court yesterday, where she pleaded guilty to two charges of drug-driving, which occurred about three weeks before the previous conviction and sentencing.

Because of the length of time taken for blood analysis in suspected drug-driving offences, they could not be dealt with at the same time.

The court heard Leverett, 26, of Orchard Drive, Wisbech, was stopped in Wilkins Road, Emneth, on November 2.

Victoria Bastock, prosecuting, said: “Police officers were acting on information that the driver might be driving under the influence of drugs.”

Leverett failed a roadside test and was arrested. She was later found to have 64 micrograms of ketamine and 3.2 micrograms of a cannabis derivative per litre of blood. The legal limits are 50 and two respectively.

Andrew Cogan, mitigating, said: “What she tells me is that she was self-medicating, using ketamine and cannabis, for depression and anxiety.

“She had referred herself to [alcohol and drug support provider] CGL. That’s going extremely well. The most important part is that she’s given up illegal drugs and is unlikely to be troubling the courts again in the future.”

Leverett was banned from driving for 12 months on each charge, to run concurrently, and was fined £120 for the ketamine offence. There was no separate financial penalty for the other. She was also told to pay a £30 victim surcharge.