Tractor Driver Who Failed To Provide A Breath Specimen Is Banned From Driving
A TRACTOR driver from Swaffham was disqualified from driving for 12 months after failing to provide a breath specimen to police. Derek George Duffield, 61, was handed the ban and a �415 fine by Ely magistrates on Thursday after pleading guilty to failing
A TRACTOR driver from Swaffham was disqualified from driving for 12 months after failing to provide a breath specimen to police.
Derek George Duffield, 61, was handed the ban and a �415 fine by Ely magistrates on Thursday after pleading guilty to failing to provide police with a satisfactory breath specimen following a crash on April 12.
Prosecuting Laura Mardell, told the court how Duffield, of The Beeches, Swaffham Prior, appeared to police to be "stumbling, staggering and smelling of alcohol" when he was approached at the side of the A142 near the Fordham Bypass.
"A member of the public was travelling towards the Fordham Bypass when he witnessed a car in front of him swerving back and forth across both lanes, said Ms Mardell.
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"When the car got to the roundabout it was driven straight into the kerb and as a result the wheel and front bumper were damaged. After a short distance the vehicle was forced to stop and the witness called the police.
"Mr Duffield was taken by police to give a specimen of breath but failed after three attempts to provide a satisfactory reading."
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Solicitors for Duffield, who admitted to the court to having had two pints of beer and two double whiskies prior to driving the vehicle, told the court: "Mr Duffield's doctor has said that because of his asthma he has the lungs of a 100 year-old and was therefore not able to give a suitable breath sample."
Duffield, who has been a contract tractor driver for almost 40 years, was told by magistrates that he could reduce the length of his ban to nine-months upon completion of a drink-driving course.
