Cambridgeshire drink driver caught five times over limit ‘defied belief’

Only a ‘miracle’ prevented a ‘reckless’ motorist caught more than five times over the drink drive limit from killing someone, a road safety charity has said.
Brake said it was a 'mircale' he did not kill anyoneBrake said it was a 'mircale' he did not kill anyone
Brake said it was a 'mircale' he did not kill anyone

Oliver Jones (36) was driving his BMW estate car on Wednesday, August 7 when he was stopped by police on Malting Yard, Ramsey, just a few yards from his home.

He later took a breath test, and gave a reading of 184 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes, and Jones’ reading is one of the highest ever recorded in Cambridgeshire.

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Jones, of Malting Yard, Ramsey, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (August 29) where he pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving.

MORE: Drink driver was five times over limitHe was given a 17-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was banned from driving for five years.

Following the hearing, a spokesman for road safety charity Brake said Jones’ reading ‘defied belief.’ He said: “Drink driving is illegal, dangerous and puts lives at risk, and to be so far over the limit defies belief.

“The defendant should count themselves extremely lucky that they avoided going to prison. It is a miracle that no one was killed or seriously injured by their actions.

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“The courts must do everything in their power to ensure that dangerous drivers are removed from our roads.”

A Cambridegshire police spokesperson said: “Drink driving is one of the ‘fatal four’ causes of road traffic collisions.

“Drinking any amount of alcohol before getting behind the wheel is dangerous, but being more than five times over the legal limit is completely reckless.”

Along with the suspended prison sentence and driving ban, Jones was also ordered to take part in an alcohol treatment requirement for six months, a rehabilitation activity requirement for 30 days, and pay a £122 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

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Jones is not the first driver to appear in court after giving a high drink drive reading in Peterborough this year.

In May, Sadie Johnson was given a suspended sentence after crashing into the back of another car in Storey’s Bar Road. She later gave a Breathalyser reading of 166 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath.

In July a man was jailed after being caught driving while more than three times over the limit - without insurance or a licence. Blessing Tambula (38) was found with an empty beer can on his passenger seat when police stopped him on the A16 near Eye at 5.30pm on Friday, July 5. He gave a breathalyser reading of 127 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 mililitres of breath. He was jailed for eight weeks.

And last month a Kettering man was given a suspended jail sentence after being caught more than four times over the limit. Adam Muir (37) was driving a Skoda Octavia when he was stopped by police on Malborne Way, Peterborough on July 17 this year. He was breathalysed, and he gave a reading of 150 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

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If you wish to report drink driving, Cambridgeshire police operate a dedicated, confidential hotline for members of the public to call and report those driving under the influence of drink and/or drugs. The hotline - 0800 032 0845 - is available 24/7.