A father of 6 who crashed his Vauxhall into a tree before refusing to give Police a blood sample has been banned from the roads for 18 months.
Lee Marshall, 35, of Prince Street in Ryde, admitted failing to provide a specimen for analysis when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court earlier this week.
Prosecutor Lauren McConnell told the court that on 11th January, Police were called to Racecourse in Whippingham following reports of a single-vehicle collision.
At the scene, a Vauxhall Zafira had collided with a tree in the middle of the roundabout, wiping out a road sign in the process.
The court heard how Marshall initially denied being the driver but that Police believed he was behind the wheel because the passenger seat was full of clutter.
As such was their belief, Marshall was asked to complete a pair of roadside breath tests. When he was asked to give a blood sample though he refused, saying ‘the 2 tests I’ve done should be enough’.
Defending Mr Marshall, Oscar Vincent told the court that since the offence Marshall committed there has been no further offending. He also added that Marshall had experienced a family bereavement at the time of the offence.
District Judge Callaway handed Marshall an 18-month driving ban and ordered him to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.
Good outcome this time
Many people have to deal with bereavements, they still don’t
break the law.
One cannot ‘collide’ with a tree.