iazoniccc
New Member
Hi all this is my first post here,
First thing that i should make clear is my undying regret for my mindless stupidity, I have not come here seeking sympathy, i am thoroughly ashamed of my actions.
On 19th December 2011 I had taken my car on a night out as was my routine, I would leave it locked securely in a car park to the rear of the high street for the night and jump in a taxi and collect it the day (or sometimes two) later. This night was different. It was exceptionally cold and come closing time both myself and a young lady i had met were standing in line waiting for a taxi absolutely freezing numb. I searched for any money i had remaining to make sure i had sufficient amount to pay our fare. The pretty lady noticed that my keys contained my car key and asked if i had a car with me, I confirmed that indeed i did and that i always bring my car with me and pick it up a day later. She asked if we could possibly walk the 2-300 meters to my car and sit inside with the engine running to stay warm until the taxi queue had shortened and we would not have to wait too long in the freezing cold. I did not like the idea and indeed if i was on my own would have been quite happy to brave the cold until a taxi was available. However she was very petite and wearing very little, I had no jacket or jumper to give her and in order to keep my new friend happy agreed that we do just that. So we did, and she was happy, very happy in fact. I received a lot of affection for that. Then my man brain kicked in and decided that it should be my job to get us both home and that she should not have to wait another second in the freezing cold. I could have rang up a local firm and booked a taxi to collect us from the car park, that wouldnt have been a problem to them. But no i dip the clutch and shot it into first and pull away with confidence, i wont get caught, i know people who do this every weekend. Wrong. First corner i take and there's a police van right behind me. It signals for me to stop with the blue lights. I stop, look in my offside mirror to see that an officer has alighted his van to approach my window. I panic and speed away, the road is icy, my car (Vectra 2.5 v6) skids and hits a metal railing which knocks out the tracking a little bit, i continue, thinking honestly i can still get away with this!! No i cant!! the nearside tyre bursts and i bring the car to a stop. The pursuit lasts about 2 miles. By the time it had ended there was about 5 other units had joined the van. The tracking issue had meant the average speed of my car was around 30-40mph. About 10 officers quickly arrived at my drivers door and dragged me to the ground, using pepper spray, im even pretty sure i was kicked in the ribs a couple of times but that's neither here nor there. Long story short, roadside breath test 55mg, police station test 52mg and offered blood test. Bloods ended up coming back like 89mg or something like that. Charged with Drink driving, Dangerous driving and Failing to stop. First court day i had no legal representation as i thought i was looking at a ban and a fine. I thought I didn't need the extra cost of a solicitor when the circumstances were pretty clear cut. They said they strongly recommended i seek legal representation and come back a week later which i did. They then told me the case was too serious to be dealt with at magistrates and would have to be committed to Teesside Crown Court. Then i started to worry. The case came up a month or two later and i read the witness statements from the officers involved. I was happy to plead guilty on every charge but there was some things in there that were clearly fabricated, for example, i was driving the complete wrong side of the carriageway against oncoming traffic. That simply did not happen. Solicitor advised against arguing and to just accept and apologise, which i did. Bottom line was 9 months prison suspended for 18 months, 2 years driving ban, 250 hours unpaid work in the community and £700 fine. The ban is due to end in 13 weeks and its actually getting to the point where i can actually start looking forward to it. Driving and mechanics is my biggest hobby and i have been absolutely lost without them. One hundred percent the worst period in my life. The beginning was just sheer relief at not being jailed. The middle part was the worst feeling like it was still an age away. One thing is for sure, i will NEVER drink and drive again, the repercussions if caught are simply world-ending to me, not to mention the people that could have lost their lives had they been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I hope my story can deter anyone reading that might ever do something as stupid as i did if they're reading.
I have a few questions regarding my upcoming end-of-disqualification if i may put them to you fine people?
A. After the disqualification period is up, can i drive my own car with a new provisional licence and suitable supervisor (ie. my girlfriend with 5 year licence) plus L plates? (part of my sentence was disqualification until test pass but this is slightly ambiguous in that i cannot take a test without driving a car and i cannot drive a car until i pass a test?)
B. i know i can apply for the licence before the disqualification period is up but can i apply for the tests as the waiting period for those tests is effectively prolonging my ban by 6 or 8 weeks?
Thanks for reading, i know its a little long winded, sorry!!
First thing that i should make clear is my undying regret for my mindless stupidity, I have not come here seeking sympathy, i am thoroughly ashamed of my actions.
On 19th December 2011 I had taken my car on a night out as was my routine, I would leave it locked securely in a car park to the rear of the high street for the night and jump in a taxi and collect it the day (or sometimes two) later. This night was different. It was exceptionally cold and come closing time both myself and a young lady i had met were standing in line waiting for a taxi absolutely freezing numb. I searched for any money i had remaining to make sure i had sufficient amount to pay our fare. The pretty lady noticed that my keys contained my car key and asked if i had a car with me, I confirmed that indeed i did and that i always bring my car with me and pick it up a day later. She asked if we could possibly walk the 2-300 meters to my car and sit inside with the engine running to stay warm until the taxi queue had shortened and we would not have to wait too long in the freezing cold. I did not like the idea and indeed if i was on my own would have been quite happy to brave the cold until a taxi was available. However she was very petite and wearing very little, I had no jacket or jumper to give her and in order to keep my new friend happy agreed that we do just that. So we did, and she was happy, very happy in fact. I received a lot of affection for that. Then my man brain kicked in and decided that it should be my job to get us both home and that she should not have to wait another second in the freezing cold. I could have rang up a local firm and booked a taxi to collect us from the car park, that wouldnt have been a problem to them. But no i dip the clutch and shot it into first and pull away with confidence, i wont get caught, i know people who do this every weekend. Wrong. First corner i take and there's a police van right behind me. It signals for me to stop with the blue lights. I stop, look in my offside mirror to see that an officer has alighted his van to approach my window. I panic and speed away, the road is icy, my car (Vectra 2.5 v6) skids and hits a metal railing which knocks out the tracking a little bit, i continue, thinking honestly i can still get away with this!! No i cant!! the nearside tyre bursts and i bring the car to a stop. The pursuit lasts about 2 miles. By the time it had ended there was about 5 other units had joined the van. The tracking issue had meant the average speed of my car was around 30-40mph. About 10 officers quickly arrived at my drivers door and dragged me to the ground, using pepper spray, im even pretty sure i was kicked in the ribs a couple of times but that's neither here nor there. Long story short, roadside breath test 55mg, police station test 52mg and offered blood test. Bloods ended up coming back like 89mg or something like that. Charged with Drink driving, Dangerous driving and Failing to stop. First court day i had no legal representation as i thought i was looking at a ban and a fine. I thought I didn't need the extra cost of a solicitor when the circumstances were pretty clear cut. They said they strongly recommended i seek legal representation and come back a week later which i did. They then told me the case was too serious to be dealt with at magistrates and would have to be committed to Teesside Crown Court. Then i started to worry. The case came up a month or two later and i read the witness statements from the officers involved. I was happy to plead guilty on every charge but there was some things in there that were clearly fabricated, for example, i was driving the complete wrong side of the carriageway against oncoming traffic. That simply did not happen. Solicitor advised against arguing and to just accept and apologise, which i did. Bottom line was 9 months prison suspended for 18 months, 2 years driving ban, 250 hours unpaid work in the community and £700 fine. The ban is due to end in 13 weeks and its actually getting to the point where i can actually start looking forward to it. Driving and mechanics is my biggest hobby and i have been absolutely lost without them. One hundred percent the worst period in my life. The beginning was just sheer relief at not being jailed. The middle part was the worst feeling like it was still an age away. One thing is for sure, i will NEVER drink and drive again, the repercussions if caught are simply world-ending to me, not to mention the people that could have lost their lives had they been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I hope my story can deter anyone reading that might ever do something as stupid as i did if they're reading.
I have a few questions regarding my upcoming end-of-disqualification if i may put them to you fine people?
A. After the disqualification period is up, can i drive my own car with a new provisional licence and suitable supervisor (ie. my girlfriend with 5 year licence) plus L plates? (part of my sentence was disqualification until test pass but this is slightly ambiguous in that i cannot take a test without driving a car and i cannot drive a car until i pass a test?)
B. i know i can apply for the licence before the disqualification period is up but can i apply for the tests as the waiting period for those tests is effectively prolonging my ban by 6 or 8 weeks?
Thanks for reading, i know its a little long winded, sorry!!
