WATCH: 'Police officer with a Taser - stop where you are now:' The moment Peterborough drug driver is arrested after he was banned from the roads for eight years
Anthony Smith had three different types of drug in his system when he was arrested in Woodston
A man who was found to have been driving while under the influence of three different types of drugs has been jailed handed an eight-year driving ban.
Anthony Smith, 41, was arrested by traffic officers on 5 April last year after a vehicle check revealed his white Vauxhall Astra Van had cloned plates.
He had tried to drive off after seeing police but got out and was found hiding in a garden in Shrewsbury Avenue, Woodston.
He admitted he was disqualified from driving and was found in possession of cocaine, as well as being found to be under the influence of cannabis, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine.
Smith, of Myrtle Avenue, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, was released under investigation and was due to attend court but failed to appear and was finally arrested by Peterborough neighbourhood support officers on 4 March this year in Welland Road, Dogsthorpe.
Smith appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (6 March), where he was sentenced to a total of eight months in prison and banned from driving until July 2033.
Sergeant Joe Woolf, one of the arresting officers, said: “Smith had the mindset that he could avoid justice, but thanks to the eagle eyes of our neighbourhood officers, we were able to arrest and put him before the courts.
“Driving while under the influence of drink or drugs can put both the driver and other road users at risk, and it is fortunate that no harm was caused.”
Smith was also made subject of a two-year restraining order and ordered to pay £150 in compensation in connection with threats and harassment against a former friend.
Charges admitted by Anthony Smith in court
Taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent
Three counts of drug driving
Two counts of driving while disqualified
Two counts of driving without insurance
Possession of cocaine
Threat to damage property
Harassment
The force operates a dedicated, confidential hotline – 0800 032 0845 – which is available 24/7 and allows the reporting of those believed to be driving under the influence.