A drug driver from Peterborough is jailed and given an 8 year ban
Anthony Smith from Dogsthorpe was caught with three different drugs in his system
A man who was found to have been driving while under the influence of three different types of drugs has been jailed handed an eight-year driving ban.
Anthony Smith, 41, was arrested by traffic officers on 5 April last year after a vehicle check revealed his white Vauxhall Astra Van had cloned plates.
He had tried to drive off after seeing police but got out and was found hiding in a garden in Shrewsbury Avenue, Woodston.
He admitted he was disqualified from driving and was found in possession of cocaine, as well as being found to be under the influence of cannabis, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine.
Smith, of Myrtle Avenue, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, was released under investigation and was due to attend court but failed to appear and was finally arrested by Peterborough neighbourhood support officers on 4 March this year in Welland Road, Dogsthorpe.
Smith appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (6 March), where he was sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from driving until July 2033.
He was also made subject of a two-year restraining order and ordered to pay £150 in compensation in connection with threats and harassment against a former friend.
He admitted:
Taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent
Three counts of drug driving
Two counts of driving while disqualified
Two counts of driving without insurance
Possession of cocaine
Threat to damage property
Harassment
Sergeant Joe Woolf, one of the arresting officers, said:
“Smith had the mindset that he could avoid justice, but thanks to the eagle eyes of our neighbourhood officers, we were able to arrest and put him before the courts.
“Driving while under the influence of drink or drugs can put both the driver and other road users at risk, and it is fortunate that no harm was caused.”