South Shields drunk driver spared prison despite ‘rare’ high alcohol-level reading

Stephen Steele, 47, walked free from court despite blowing at a level above and beyond Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidelines.

Steele gave a breathalyser reading of 152mcg when arrested at a KFC about 400m from his home in Chichester Road, South Shields, on Saturday, November 9.

The legal limit is 35mcg, and the CPS’s four banding levels begin at a range of 36mcg to 59mcg, and end at 120mcg to 150mcg.

After hearing strong mitigation, District Judge Zoe Passfield jailed Steele for eight weeks but suspended the sentence for 18 months.

She told him: “I give you credit for your guilty plea and take account that you’ve been out of trouble for in excess of 20 years.

“I can give you an idea of how high a reading it is. It's beyond the scope of the court sentencing guidelines, that is how rare a reading that high is.

“It’s serious enough for a prison sentence.”

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard Steele committed the offence amid marital woes, including being left with a £50,000 credit card debt.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess alcohol at an earlier hearing and returned to the same court on Tuesday, March 11, to be sentenced.

Prosecutor Glenda Beck said: “It’s a ban of between 29 and 36 months.

“He does have a previous conviction for excess alcohol, but it does date back to 2003.”

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David Forrester, defending, told Judge Passfield: “He’s a genuinely decent man. He has 20-plus years working in children’s homes.

“It’s quite clear that there was a substantial downturn in his life due to difficulties he had with his wife.

“There’s a £50,000 debt she had in his name. All the cards were in his name. He made the fateful decision to drive about 400m to the KFC.

“I would suggest to you that there is an absolutely clear prospect of rehabilitation.”

Judge Passfield banned Steele from driving for three years and ordered him to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

He must complete 10 rehabilitation days with the Probation Service and abide by a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.