Man banned from driving after taking wife to hospital and back while twice the limit

A man drove his wife to hospital while over the limit after she suffered a cliff fall, a court heard.
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Keith Ventress, 50, of Poplar Drive, Whitburn, took her to South Tyneside District Hospital – and then drove home with the emergency over.

His decision to complete the return leg, instead of calling for a taxi, lost him any chance of a special reasons defence for his drink-drive offence.

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Magistrates in South Tyneside were told by Ventress his wife came home with “half her cheek missing” after a seafront tumble on Sunday, October 25.

South Tyneside Law Courts.  Picture by FRANK REID. South Tyneside Law Courts.  Picture by FRANK REID.
South Tyneside Law Courts. Picture by FRANK REID.

Ventress claimed he initially called the emergency services but then drove around three miles to A&E at the hospital in South Shields.

Police were tipped off and he has now been banned from the roads for 19 months after pleading guilty to drink-driving.

Prosecutor Grace Taylor said: “Officers attended the defendant’s address following reports of a drink-driver with the registration of his vehicle.

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“He admitted to being the driver. He said he had collected his wife from South Tyneside District Hospital.

“He was arrested and taken to the station and a CAMIC breath test was undertaken.”

The test showed 73 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Ventress, who represented himself in court, admitted to the magistrates that he should not have driven as he had been drinking.

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He told the court: “I’m old enough to know right from wrong, and I know that I’ve done wrong.

“I was in shock. My wife came in and half of her cheek was missing after a fall at the cliffs.

“I just went into shock mode. I know that I shouldn’t have done it. I took her to the hospital and just came back.”

John Lee, chairman of the magistrates’ bench, told Ventress: “It’s a sad set of circumstances that have found you before the court today.

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“Full credit to you for holding your hands up and saying that you did it and that you shouldn’t have done it.”

Ventress was also fined £120, and must pay £85 court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

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