‘Reckless’ drink-driver banned from roads less than a week after passing test

A man who was caught drink-driving has been banned from the roads just a week after passing his driving test.
PolicePolice
Police

Lee Dawson, of Hearsay Gardens, Camberley, Surrey, crashed his Vauxhall Astra into two vehicles waiting at the lights in New England Street, Brighton, at 11.45pm on June 17.

Police said the 27-year-old had been on a night out in Brighton but after losing contact with a friend he chose to get behind the wheel.

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They added he had 129 millilitres of alcohol per 100 millilitres in his breath - almost four times the drink-drive legal limit.

Dawson pleaded guilty to drink-driving when he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on July 2.

He was banned from driving for 30 months, given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, ordered to do 200 hours of community service and told to pay £235 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas, of Sussex and Surrey roads policing unit, said: “Taking and passing your driving test can be expensive and insuring your first car is also not cheap.

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“But Lee Dawson’s recklessness in deciding to drive home drunk meant he has thrown away his licence less than a week after he got it.

“Fortunately neither he nor any of the people in the cars that he hit were seriously hurt but they could have been.

“The breathalyser reading shows that he was totally unfit to drive. It was just fortunate that when he was driving through the city centre he did not hit someone before he crashed.”