South Shields restaurant worker banned from driving after refusing to give blood test

Jetu Miah, 32, of Wallington Grove, South Shields, was abusive and uncooperative when police asked him to give a blood sample after his arrest on Saturday, September 5.

A court heard he did provide two breath samples as first requested but alcohol, from backwash in his mouth, nullified the result.

Miah then failed to give a blood sample when asked by a nurse and officers at a police station, following his arrest at home at around 4.30am.

He has now been disqualified from the roads for 12 months and must sit a drink-impaired drivers’ programme with the aim of showing him the error of his ways.

An earlier hearing at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard Miah was seen getting out of the car, which crashed in Wallington Grove, and going into his home.

At his sentencing hearing, prosecutor Clare Irving said: “Police come out to a suspected drink-driver who has crashed into a lamppost and another vehicle.

“When they attend, the vehicle was there, and the bonnet was warm, and he was arrested at his home.

“He does give two samples on the CAMIC machine, but alcohol backwash meant they could not be used.

“He was argumentative and abusive during the procedure and was asked several times to give a sample of blood.”

Tracey Wood, defending, said: “This young man does come before the court to say, ‘Yes, my behaviour was unacceptable at the police station’.

“There’s no evidence of the lamppost being hit or the car being hit and damaged. He has always maintained that he didn’t drive the car and didn’t hit a lamppost.

“He was scantily dressed and hadn’t had time to put on clothes. He accepts his behaviour should have been calmer.”

Miah, who pleaded guilty to failing to provide a sample, was also handed an 18-month community order, with a requirement of 20 days of rehabilitation work with the Probation Service.

Under the order, he must also complete the Drink Impaired Drivers course, and he was also fined £133, with £85 court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Shields Gazette website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.