Judgement affected by prescription drugs and alcohol
When prescription drugs and alcohol are combined and driving takes place, the consequences cannot be avoided. When a driver claims to have been confused when he or she embarked on driving, and argues that the confusion or lack of judgement was due to a combination of prescribed drugs and alcohol,…
Drink/drive; blood sample at the hospital
What are the rules for taking a blood sample from a badly injured suspected driver who has been taken to the hospital following a road accident? The circumstances when a suspected driver is taken to hospital are generally when a road accident has occurred and the driver has been…
Discharge of Sexual Offences Protection Order
Introduction As a Guildford lawyer, I successfully applied to the Guildford Crown Court to discharge a Sexual Offences Protection Order on behalf of a client who had previously received an indeterminate Order. Background A Sexual Offences Protection Order is an ancillary order, commonly imposed by a court sentencing an…
‘Laced Drinks’ Defence to Drink-Drive
Following success yesterday in a drink-driving case, where I managed to argue ‘special reasons’ and assist a client to avoid an obligatory disqualification from driving, it would be tempting to over-inflate the success in promotion of my practice. The smart and experienced professional knows, however, that so much depends on…
Disqualified driving – ‘Totting up’
If you have been driving for under two years, and you are caught speeding, your licence will be endorsed with a minimum of three points. If this happens again, and the points add up to six, you will lose your license and have to retake your driving test to regain…
Drink Drive Law – Public Place
I recently appeared at Worthing Magistrates Court on behalf of a client accused of a drink/driving offence. The legal limit for driving while intoxicated through drink is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, with a 5-point margin of error; at 40, a conviction follows. A high reading…
Dangerous Dogs
Recently I was invited to take a case involving a charge of ‘keeping a dog dangerously out of control’ under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 at Guildford Magistrates’ Court. On the face of it, the evidence was overwhelming, and the dogs looked set to be destroyed! According to the prosecution…
Buyer beware, but seller be on guard!
There was an interesting case in the Gloucester Crown Court where an ex police officer pleaded guilty to fraud. The circumstances were somewhat surprising in that it surrounded the sale of horses, and ordinarily would not have ended up in the criminal courts. According to the judge, there had been…
Drug Driving And Medical Advice
Medical evidence and ‘drug driving’ under the new law coming into force in March 2015 The Drug Review of drink and drug driving law by Sir Peter North confirmed that there is a significant drug driving problem in Great Britain. Currently, police have to show that drugs have impaired a…
Drug Driving
‘Drug Driving’ This is one of a series of blogs in relation to a statutory instrument that comes into force on 2nd March 2015, entitled Drug Driving (Specified Limits) (England and Wales) Regulations 2014. It’s a fairly innocuous sounding piece of subordinate legislation, but I am sure it is going…