Essex man caught drug-driving while travelling to Downham Market appears in King’s Lynn court

A man was caught driving under the influence of cannabis while travelling to renovate a boat in West Norfolk.

Dean Lane, 38, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with drug-driving.

He pleaded guilty to the offence, which he committed on March 2 this year.

Crown prosecutor Colette Harper told magistrates that on that date, a police constable spotted Lane driving along the A1122 at Downham. Officers had previously been supplied with information that suggested he may be under the influence.

Lane was subsequently pulled over, and he told the officer that he smokes cannabis in the evenings. A roadside drug swipe returned a positive result, and he was therefore arrested.

In custody, an evidential reading revealed he had 7mcg of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – a cannabis derivative – per litre of blood in his system. The legal limit is 2mcg.

In mitigation, George Sorrell said that Lane, of Tudor Green in Jaywick, Essex, had taken the cannabis the night before he was caught – “not realising that it stays in his system”.

He added that the defendant and his son were in Downham because they were in the process of renovating a boat there.

“He felt quite able to drive,” the solicitor said.

“The reason he is taking the cannabis is to help him with his aching joints. He is only 38, but he has lived a hard life.

“It has had a detrimental effect on his joints – I know how he feels.

“I can tell you that he has gone to his doctor, which is probably a better option than to self-medicate. I thought you ought to know that.”

Magistrates, led by Alan Hayes, disqualified Lane from driving for 12 months.

He was also fined £80, and will pay £105 in legal costs and a £32 victim surcharge.