Haverhill man banned from driving after failing to provide a breath specimen
Police have shared a video of his driving
A 42-year-old man from Haverhill has been banned from driving for two years, after he failed to provide a breath test following a collision in the town last year.
Merlvin Jose, of Ruffles Road, appeared at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 9 January, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
Jose was disqualified from driving for 24 months, fined £864 and ordered to pay £346 victim surcharge and £105 in costs.
WATCH - police footage
It happened in the early hours of Sunday 12 November, when police received a call from a member of the public at just after 12.40am reporting they had witnessed a car swerving over the road, mount the kerb and crash into a barrier on the A143 Wratting Road and then go the wrong way round a roundabout at the junction with Lord’s Croft Lane.
Officers attended the scene and found Jose standing in front of a Ford Focus looking at the damage.
He made comments to an officer that he had drunk some beer and subsequently failed a roadside breath test.
Jose was then arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre, but when requested to provide an evidential sample of breath for analysis in custody he failed to do so and was then charged with that offence.
"It is extremely fortunate that no one was seriously injured"
Sergeant Matt Cooper, of Haverhill Response Investigation Team, said: “This incident occurred on a Saturday night into Sunday morning - at a time when it was still relatively busy with pedestrians around - and it is extremely fortunate that no one was seriously injured as result of Merlvin Jose’s reckless actions.
“To lose control of the vehicle in the way he did demonstrated that he was clearly unfit to drive and it is simply not unacceptable to get behind the wheel if you have been drinking.
“We conduct regular patrols on weekends with particular focus on the night-time economy and around licensed premises, to help keep people safe and identify anyone committing offences.
“As the message of our recent Christmas campaign stated, there is ‘No Excuse’ for risking peoples’ lives in this selfish way and we will continue to put offenders before the court, where the minimum penalty they will face is a driving ban.”