South Wootton man admits to drinking six cans of beer before crashing into ditch on A47 at Tilney All Saints

A drink-driver who lost control on a dual carriageway and crashed into a ditch confessed he had six cans of beer before getting behind the wheel.

Simon Jones, 48, of Hall Lane in South Wootton, also had 13.55g of cannabis on him at the time of the offence. He appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to his crimes.

Crown prosecutor Sally Harris said that on March 18, police attended the scene of the crash after a witness had spotted Jones’ Vauxhall Astra in a ditch on the A47 at Tilney All Saints.

The witness stayed with Jones until emergency services arrived and, during a search, officers found the Class B drugs.

He was arrested before being taken to hospital to be checked over.

During his hospital stay, a blood test was carried out which found 100mcg of alcohol per litre of his blood. The legal limit to drive is 80mcg.

During his police interview, Jones confessed that he had around six cans of beer before deciding to drive.

He had 11 previous convictions to his name and was disqualified from driving in 2010.

In mitigation, Andrew Cogan said that Jones had no recollection of the crash and suffered from a broken sternum as a result of the collision.

The solicitor said that officers had made accusations that Jones had attempted to drive off after crashing.

“He tells me there was no way he could have driven off – the car was written off,” Mr Cogan said.

Mr Cogan said that Jones was going through a “dire patch” in his life and was struggling to find work.

He advised that Jones needed some help in relation to his alcohol consumption, but also with his hearing.

He said: “Mr Jones is very hard of hearing. When he does work he works to the best of his ability.”

Jones was disqualified from driving for 12 months and was ordered to pay a combined fine of £200 for both offences.

He will also pay a victim surcharge of £80 and £50 in court costs.