Three-year road ban for Telford drug driver

On one occasion 23-year-old Samuel Moore was said to have had more than six times the legal limit in his blood.

The offences in January also put Moore in breach of a suspended prison sentence for his role in a conspiracy to steal cars.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court, Moore was given a 12-month community order which includes a rehabilitation programme for the drug-related offences.

Recorder Graham Huston ruled that it would be unjust to impose any part of the suspended prison term, but added 40 hours’ unpaid work to the supervision requirement and imposed a three-year mandatory driving disqualification and ordered Moore to pay £300 costs.

Moore, of Jarrett Walk, Muxton, Telford had admitted three offences of driving with drugs in his blood and being in breach of an 18-month suspended prison sentence imposed in March last year for the vehicle conspiracy.

He was also in breach of a conditional discharge for driving while disqualified imposed last year and had a conviction in 2014 for driving with excess alcohol.

Moore’s Transit van was seen speeding near the Asda store in Donnington on January 3 this year and when the vehicle was stopped Moore was given a road side breath test which was negative.

Mr John Oates, prosecuting, said subsequent blood samples proved to be positive for two sets of drugs – 55 micrograms of cocaine where the legal limit is 10 micrograms, and 307 micrograms of Benzoylecgonine, a cocaine derivative known as BZE, where the legal limit is 50.

Five days later, on January 8, Moore was seen in the same vehicle in Forgegate in the town centre and subsequent tests showed the BZE level was 54, just above the legal limit.

Mr Dafydd Roberts, for Moore, said his client had completed the supervision and 200 hours of work elements under the suspended sentence and now had a job, his partner was pregnant and he was a carer for his mother.