West Winch man caught drink-driving in King’s Lynn while ‘running errand’ for girlfriend

A man who got behind the wheel while drunk in order to “run an errand” for his girlfriend has been banned from driving.

Christopher Weatherley, 56, of West Winch Road in West Winch, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with drink-driving.

He pleaded guilty to the offence, which he committed on June 24.

Crown prosecutor Lily Orr said that on that date, police were called to Wisbech Road in Lynn following reports of a vehicle being driven “erratically”.

Officers spotted the Jeep Cherokee that Weatherley was driving and subsequently pulled him over, noting that his eyes were glazed and that he smelled of alcohol.

He was asked to perform a roadside breath test, which he failed, before being arrested and taken into custody.

Later evidential tests revealed that Weatherley had 96mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath in his system, with the legal limit being 35mcg.

In mitigation on Thursday, George Sorrell argued that there were no “particular aggravating factors” in Weatherley’s case.

“The defendant was asked by his girlfriend to do an errand,” the solicitor said.

“He felt obliged to do this errand. He shouldn’t have done it – he realises it was a bad error of judgement.”

Magistrates, led by Ginny Hutton, disqualified Weatherley from driving for a period of 24 months.

They also fined him £200, and ordered him to pay £105 in legal costs and an £80 victim surcharge.