Disqualified driver from Elm got behind the wheel after taking cannabis

A disqualified driver avoided going to prison after getting behind the wheel again after taking drugs.

Jeffrey Willis, 50, of Main Road in Elm, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he admitted a total of three offences.

He pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, driving above the specified drug limit and driving with no insurance.

However, Willis’ solicitor argued that his client only got behind the wheel because he wanted to help his mother.

On November 18 last year, officers saw Willis driving on Elm High Road in Wisbech at around 7.30pm.

They noticed that the Audi A3 that Willis was driving did not have a valid MOT certificate, so decided to pull him over.

Further checks carried out by officers revealed that Willis was disqualified from driving until March 2024.

Willis admitted to police that he had been smoking cannabis that evening. He was then arrested and taken to police custody.

A blood test was carried out which found that Willis had 7mcg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol - a cannabis breakdown - per litre of his blood.

The legal limit to drive is 2mcg.

Prosecutor Sarah Fiddy said that Willis had a total of 66 previous convictions to his name, and he had previously been disqualified from driving.

In mitigation, George Sorrell said that Willis had made the journey to take his mother’s car to a garage to get it fixed.

“Since 2017, the defendant, after being released from prison, decided to change his life,” the solicitor said.

“He got a job, but last November his mother persuaded him to drive this Audi, which was hers, to take it to somebody to get it fixed.

“He should have been more resolute and restoring about his mother’s wishes, but it is understandable because she is not very well.”

Magistrates asked for a pre-sentence report to be carried out by the court’s probation service to determine what the impact of custody would be for Willis.

Probation officer Lewis Spicer said that custody would “change everything” for Willis and that he would lose his accommodation.

“He provides support to his mother, he doesn’t provide care but helps around the house,” Mr Spicer said.

Magistrates handed him a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

He was disqualified from driving for a further 40 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and court costs of £85.