'I'm begging you' - Self-employed barber caught drink driving in South Shields pleaded with police
A self-employed barber caught drink driving in South Tyneside pleaded with police at the roadside, “Please, I’m begging you, it’s my job”.
Dean Coleman, 39, took his car when he went socialising with friends on Saturday, September 6 – the day before the Great North Run. Coleman, of Fitzpatrick Place, South Shields, did not intend to drive but moved his motor when told there could be severe race-related congestion the next day.
But he jumped a red light at Crossgate, also South Shields, at around 8.15pm, putting police on his tail, prosecutor Chike Anieto told borough magistrates. He made the desperate plea after being pulled over in Westoe Road, close to the junction with Spohr Terrace.
Coleman now faces a severe cut in earnings, with a 15-month roads’ ban meaning he can no longer get to work 40 miles away in Darlington. Mr Anieto said: “Officers were at Crossgate in South Shields when they observed a silver Mini go through a red light.
“They followed it into Westoe Road, where an officer spoke to the driver and could smell intoxicants. A roadside breath test was conducted. The defendant made a statement, saying, ‘Please, I’m begging you, it’s my job’.”
Coleman was arrested and taken to Sunderland’s Southwick police station, where he gave a reading for alcohol in breath of 58mcg. The legal limit is 35mcg. Geoffrey Forrester, defending Coleman, who has no previous convictions, said: “He's a decent man. He’s a barber in Darlington.
“The loss of his licence will mean the loss of this job. He also has a chair in South Shields but he is not well-known there, it will take time to develop. He had been out for something to eat and drink and didn’t intend to drive but someone mentioned it was the Great North Run the next day.
“He went to move his car. He approached some traffic lights, and they changed just as he went through.”
Magistrates also fined Coleman £150, with £85 court costs and a £60 victim surcharge. John Lee, chair of the bench, told Coleman he had known his job depended on being able to drive but that he had “taken a chance”, a decision he said was “not wise”.