A teenager from East Cowes who was caught drink driving on a Beryl e-Scooter early on Christmas Day has been banned from driving, just months after getting his licence.
Luke Wright, 19, of Old Road in East Cowes, has pleaded guilty to a charge of drink driving in relation to an incident on Fairlee Road, Newport on the morning of 25th December last year.
Appearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning, Wright stood in the dock to hear the full details of his actions as read to the court by prosecutor Liz Miller.
The court heard that Police were driving along Fairlee Road in Newport when they spotted a male on a Beryl e-Scooter driving on the wrong side of the road and swerving all over the carriageway. He was also trying to push the motorised scooter along with his right foot.
The officers spun their vehicle around and pulled over the rider, now known to be Wright – an apprentice at GKN in his home town of East Cowes. As Wright pulled up on the grass verge he stumbled, then admitting to officers that he had fallen earlier in the night and grazed his chin. He initially gave Police a false name and age.
Police offered the 19-year-old a lift home – which he accepted – but it was during the journey to East Cowes that officers decided to breathalyse Wright, which he only successfully completed on the 4th attempt. He blew 80 at the roadside on York Avenue and was arrested.
Wright was subsequently taken into custody where he provided 2 evidential breathalyser readings, the lowest being 79. The legal limit is 35.
Defending, Jim Osborne said that his client had made a ‘stupid mistake’ by his own admission and had decided to take an e-Scooter home as there were no taxis available. Mr Osborne said that Wright deeply regrets his behaviour, which has proven to be an expensive mistake – especially as he only got his driving licence in August 2022.
Magistrates handed Luke Wright a 20-month driving ban and fined him £346, as well as ordering him to pay £85 costs with a £138 surcharge. They described his actions as ‘very foolish’.
Beryl scooters aka the drunks taxi of choice, well done IW Police for stopping a serious accident ..happening .. well done IWC for disregarding public safety and keeping these lethal ( in the wrong hands ) things available ..
Should’ve asked me for a lift x
Beryl Scooters are an Health and Safety Hazard.
Sadly Health and Safety does not exist on the Island.
I have mentioned Health and Safety to Bob Seely in an email.
All scooters are being ridden with no Safety Helmets.
All it takes is one silly mistake
You got more than the scum who said he would rape children! What is going on!!!!
Steve baby smoke weed every day
Wow. Really ?! This is the least offensive offense ever. I feel sad now.
Oh wow, 20 months for a scooter!
Then for drink driving a car – much heavier/faster machine with much higher probability of killing a pedestrian – I guess sentences are 20 years of driving ban, if not more?
That’s tough!
I think cars have approx. 100x bigger force than a scooter due to its mass and speed so that’s about 2,000 months or 166 years ban: so I can only assume drink driving once == lifetime ban surely.
20 month ban for drunk on an escooter – yet often we see much smaller bans for car drivers (potentially way way more dangerous). Makes a mockery of the haters who say that escooter riders get away with everything unpoliced/scot free.
Can’t do the time don’t do the crime
Confused you can ride an electric bike when drunk no fear of a ban as there is a specific offence of being drunk in charge of a bicycle does this also mean that disqualified drivers cannot use an electric scooter and if I child has a scooter off it’s parents do they get charged with use cause permit offence for supplying the scooter let’s have some clarity re scooters and bikes and for that matter insurance for the same and if it’s being classed as a motor vehicle then MOT applies
I feel quite sorry for this lad. A silly mistake on a scooter. He might have been putting his life at risk but wasn’t really going to damage anyone else. There have been some really nasty crimes reported on here where the perpetrators have got off free or barely punished, reports of Police are not attending serious crimes etc. I think it would have been reasonable to pick the lad up, ensure his safety and possibly give a warning or small fine. A 20 month driving ban? Really? Yet many drug and drunk drivers go unnoticed. I don’t know this young lad and don’t condone ‘silly behaviour’ as such but I think this outcome is quite frankly ridiculous.
Ffs Luke…xD first you write off the bike and now you get banned…you only recently got your license and your bike