South Tyneside chef charged for drink driving offences

A South Tyneside pub chef jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when he boozed with colleagues after work – then drove.

Shaun Cubby, 34, drank two pints to relax when his shift at a Boldon boozer ended on Saturday, May 20, a court heard.

Cubby, of Hedley Terrace, South Hetton, then moved on to a second watering hole with workmates where he gave into temptation and downed another pint.

But he came unstuck when police saw his Audi A4 clip a curb and veer across white lines on Newcastle Road at Sunderland just after midnight.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to drink driving and was banned from the roads for 16 months.

Magistrates heard the married dad-of-two may also be forced to give up his job due to public transport difficulties from his home.

Prosecutor Paul Doney said: “At 12.25am an officer was driving an armed response vehicle when he was alerted to a black Audi that was swerving across the road.

“The defendant has hit a curb on the nearside and he then crossed the central lines in the centre of the road.

“The officer has directed the vehicle to stop as he believed the driver to be intoxicated.

“He approached the driver’s door and directed the driver to the rear of his vehicle. The defendant was described as stumbling as he walked.”

Cubby gave a roadside reading of 53mcg of alcohol in breath, which had risen to 57mcg by the time of a police station evidential sample. The legal limit is 35mcg.

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Paul Hanratty, defending Cubby, who has no previous convictions, said: “He’s employed as a chef in a public house in Boldon.

“On the day in question, he finished his shift and had two pints after work although he was technically still on duty.

“Someone suggested that some people from the pub were going to another pub for a drink.

“He at first said no and then said yes but that he wasn’t going to drink. He had one more pint, he also hadn’t eaten anything.

“He is a little surprised that his driving has been described as erratic.”

Magistrates told Cubby he had made a “big mistake” which would have a “devastating impact” on him.

They also fined him £350, with a £140 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.