Mansfield man who was spotted driving erratically told police ‘Yes, I am p*****’

Mansfield Magistrates' Court heard Police spotted Luke Pickering's red Vauxhall van as he crossed the central line, slowed down then sped up, and hit the nearside kerb, on December 3, at about 12.15am.

Rosanna McDaid, prosecuting, said that when they stopped him on Oaktree Lane, Pickering identified himself as the driver and said: “Yes, I am p*****.”

He confirmed he had been to a Christmas party and had a good time.

A breath test revealed he had 79 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35mcg.

The court heard he had received a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, for possession of a blade, and was banned from driving for six months for driving without insurance, in 2019.

Pickering, aged 35, of Burnside Drive, Mansfield, admitted drink-driving and driving without insurance.

Pickering, who represented himself, told magistrates: “I am an idiot – I shouldn't have done what I did.”

He told magistrates he had struggled to renew his insurance online and said a ban would “make life a lot harder”, but did not know if he would be able to continue working.

He was fined £300 and ordered to pay a £120 surcharge, along with £85 court costs.

He was disqualified from driving for 20 months but a rehabilitation course will reduce the ban by 20 weeks if he successfully completes it before February 2024.