Boozy World Cup fan caught drink-driving as he dashed to McDonald's

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Wednesday, July 18, how Luke John Whitbread, 25, of Grasmere Close, Newbold, Chesterfield, was spotted dashing into Alma Leisure Park, on Derby Road, Chesterfield, by police and went on to reverse into a sign.

Prosecuting solicitor Becky Allsop said: “Shortly after 11pm police saw a Mercedes at Horns Bridge roundabout traffic lights and it set off harshly and turned sharply into Alma Leisure Park car park.

“An officer followed and he spoke to the driver and he had a passenger and he was asked to move and he reversed hitting a sign.”

Whitbread told police he had consumed two pints of lager before the incident on July 3.

The court heard how he registered 56 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Defence solicitor Denney Lau said: “It’s a shame that someone with no driving convictions comes before the court because from his point of view it was a miscalculation.

“He had watched the football that evening between England and Colombia and thought he would be okay to drive and he was going to McDonald’s to get some food.”

Mr Lau added that Whitbread runs a mobility scooter business and without a driving licence it will create difficulties with his work.

Magistrates fined Whitbread £400 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

He was disqualified from driving for 16 months but he can reduce the ban by four months if he completes a drink-drive rehabilitation course.