Southery drug-driver ‘lucky to be here’ after serious crash, solicitor says in King’s Lynn court

A driver is “lucky to be here” after crashing and being hospitalised while under the influence of drugs, his solicitor said.

Jack Webb, of Campsey Road in Southery, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with drug-driving.

He pleaded guilty to the offence, which he committed on December 15 last year.

Crown prosecutor Lily Orr told magistrates that at around 5.30pm on that date, police were called to a single-vehicle crash on the B1160 Decoy Road in Webb’s home village.

Firefighters and paramedics were already at the scene, working to cut Webb from his Land Rover Discovery.

A witness had seen him crash at a spot where a set of temporary traffic lights had ceased to work. Webb’s injuries subsequently required him to be transported to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

While there, tests revealed that he had 2.4mcg of cannabis per litre of blood in his system, exceeding the legal limit of 2mcg.

Police spoke to him upon his release from the hospital, but he told them he could not remember anything of the incident.

In mitigation on Thursday, George Sorrell said that Webb – who was also convicted of drug-driving in 2020 – described the December 15 incident as a “serious crash”.

“He has shown me some of his scars, and they are quite serious – but happily he has made a recovery from that,” the solicitor said.

“It has very much brought home that he is a lucky man. He is lucky to be here.

“He has come to realise that this occasional habit in cannabis can have very serious consequences.

“We don’t know if it affected his driving or not. Medical opinion is that it could have.

“He realises the important things he should focus on.”

Probation officer John O’Grady carried out a pre-sentence report on Webb on Thursday, deeming him unsuitable for unpaid work due to the fall-out from the injuries he sustained in the crash.

Magistrates, led by Ginny Hutton, therefore opted to fine Webb £200. They also banned him from driving for three years, with his disqualification period extended due to his related previous offence.

He will also pay £105 in legal costs and an £80 victim surcharge.