Eighteen-year-old drink driver banned from driving weeks after passing test
A teenager who drank two pints of lager and crashed into a wall only weeks after passing his driving test has been banned from getting behind the wheel and handed a fine.
Samuel Richard Lloyd, aged 18, of Llynclys, near Oswestry, was found to have 40 mgc of alcohol in 100 ml of breath, when he drove a Toyota in Llwyn Road, Oswestry, on December 13, 2023. The limit is 35.
Mr Lloyd pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Telford Magistrates Court on Tuesday .
Shakeel Ahmed, mitigating, said Lloyd had passed his driving test a a few weeks previously and is an inexperienced driver even though he knew the road well. He said he had been fully co-operative with the police and had waited for officer to arrive.
"If he had a reading of 39 the police would not have prosecuted him," said Mr Ahmed.
"He had drunk about two pints and had given a friend a lift home.
"Nobody was injured and there was minor damage to a wall."
He said the apprentice carpenter was a keen sportsman and his rugby coach had given the court a reference.
"It was out of character," said Mr Ahmed, adding that his client would find a drink driving course to be "educational".
Magistrates banned Lloyd from driving for 12 months, fined him £360, and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £144 and prosecution costs of £135.
Lloyd agreed to attend a drink driving course and was told that his ban would be reduced by three months if he successfully completes it.
