South Shields man caught in car driver's seat while 3 times limit just a week after knife offence
A South Tyneside man is walking a tightrope with his liberty after being given his second prison let off in a month.
Craig Crabtree, 36, walked free after being handed a suspended prison term by a court on Wednesday, September 3, for a knife offence. The sentence compelled Crabtree, of George Scott Street, The Lawe, South Shields, to stay out of trouble for 12 months or risk being jailed for eight weeks.
But on Tuesday, September 16, police found him sitting in the driver’s seat of a car while three times the drink drive limit, borough magistrates heard. His Vauxhall Corsa was parked across Chichester Road, also South Shields, and Crabtree was fiddling with the ignition.
However, he was not seen driving and his solicitor insisted he had had no intention of moving the motor. He returned to the same court on Wednesday, October 1, to plead guilty to being in charge of a motor vehicle while above the alcohol limit.
The offence carries a six-month roads’ ban or 10 penalty points – and magistrates had the option to send him to jail by activating the suspended sentence. But after considering their options, they did not activate but instead extended the length of his suspended sentence to 18 months.
They also banned him from driving for six months and fined him £120, with £85 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge. Gillian Charlton, chair of the bench, told him: “We note this offence takes place barely two weeks after the suspended sentence order.”
Prosecutor Emily Hunt said: “Officers saw a car stopped diagonally across the road. The defendant was in the driving seat, with the ignition on and fiddling with the ignition. He appeared intoxicated and gave a positive breath test reading. He was subject to the suspended sentence when he committed this offence.”
Crabtree gave a reading in breath for alcohol 109mcg. The limit is 35mcg. Chris Wilson, defending, said: “He is the first to admit that he struggles with the perils of alcohol. He is getting help with that.
“His recollection is hazy about why he was in the driving the seat. It would be unjust to activate the suspended sentence.”