South Shields man found to be over double legal alcohol limit following Boldon car crash

A motorist was caught drink driving the morning after the night before when he crashed near railway lines in South Tyneside, a court heard.

Lindon Dinsley, 20, was involved in a two-car smash close to the Metro station at Station Road, East Boldon, at around 10am on Sunday, October 8.

Dinsley, of Norham Avenue North, Horsley Hill, South Shields, had consumed so much booze hours earlier he gave a breath test of twice the limit.

The unemployed agency worker’s Seat Leon was written off in the collision and he stayed at the scene to confess all to police.

Borough magistrates slammed him for driving on a busy road while drunk but praised him for not fleeing on foot – then banned him from driving for 19 months.

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Prosecutor Paul Anderson said: “It’s a very straightforward matter. He has driven the morning after the night before.

“He was involved in a road traffic collision. He stayed at the scene and the police arrived.

“He told the officers what had happened and said that he had been drinking the night before.

“He was over the limit. He’s a man of previous good character.”

Dinsley gave a breath test reading of 68mcg of alcohol in breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

He told the hearing he had driven over the Metro rail crossing and another vehicle had pulled out in front of him.

David Forrester, defending, said: “He’s a very pleasant young man who made a mistake. He didn’t dig himself any deeper.

“He had an accident and stayed there and spoke to the police. He didn’t make good the opportunity to leave.

“He’s just lost his job as an agency worker. He’s also lost quite a lot through this incident because it was his car, and it was written off.”

Alongside his disqualification, magistrates also fined Dinsley £120, with £85 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.

Gerry Tierney, chair of the bench, told Dinsely: “Your car was written off, which suggests you couldn’t have left, but you could have legged it.”

“It was from the night before. You must have had some drink.”