A man who was ejected from this year’s Rhythmtree Festival for urinating and being drunk, then proceeded to drive his vehicle at speed before crashing, has changed his plea and has been sentenced at the Magistrates Court.
Iain Stott, 49, of Brighstone Holiday Centre appeared before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning charged with drink driving. He entered a guilty plea to the single offence, having previously entered a not-guilty plea.
Ann Smout, prosecuting, explained to the court that on 7th July this year, Stott was attending Rhythmtree Festival off Rolls Hill near Cowes. He was ejected from the main arena of the event for urinating and being in a drunken state.
Stott was abusive to staff but eventually walked away before getting into his car located in the event car park. Just 5 minutes later Stott was seen to drive off, going the wrong way around the one-way system in place.
He was located by stewards down a bridleway but as he was approached he ‘floored it’, wheelspinning away. Stewards took evasive action to avoid being run over before Stott crashed into a parked vehicle.
Security restrained Stott – a father of 2 – ahead of the Police’s arrival. He was arrested and later breathalysed at Newport Police Station where he gave an evidential reading of 86. The limit being 35.
The court heard that Iain Stott was convicted of drink driving back in 2009.
Barry Arnett, defending, told the court that his client ‘feared for his safety’ as people approached him. Mr Arnett explained that Stott, a self-employed electrician, recognised he would lose his licence and therefore had bought a push bike as an alternative method of transport.
Mr Arnett expressed Stott’s apologies for what had happened, noting his ‘totally inappropriate actions’.
Magistrates banned Iain Stott from driving for 22 months and made him subject to a 12-month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work attached.
I say Burp burp burp
All drunk drivers should be Banged up.
Cant take care of himself or car, kids should be removed from him as a bare minimum
Barry Arnett defends a lot of island idiots, especially those who drink drive.
I wonder if he would still defend these people if a member of his family had been maimed by a drunken moron.
There’s no defence needed for drink driving. Guilty as soon as they get behind the wheel.
Take the car away and crush it, and give them a ban for life.
By law, everyone is entitled to a legal representative and legal defence. Mr Arnett is doing the job he is paid to do, defending people to the best of his ability with what he is presented. I’m quite sure he often has to represent people he would personally choose not to have anything to do with, but he is a defence lawyer, that’s his job. It doesn’t mean he wants to take them home and introduce them to the family.
Living full time in a holiday park so he don’t pay council tax. Then the park should kick him out. And the council should look into why he’s living there full time
Idiots like this should be locked up. He can’t handle his drink, he can’t control his temper and has no self restraint. His decision making is terrible and it’s only a matter of time before he hurts someone. In my opinion, he got off lightly.
Poor children what a life they have with a crap father
The same you must of felt