GUILTY PLEAS FROM SANDOWN DRUG DRIVER WHO ROLLED BEEMER IN YAVERLAND

A Sandown man who rolled his car onto its side back in March was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash, a court has heard. Nicholas Barton, 34, of Avenue Road in Sandown, admitted drug driving (THC) when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court yesterday (Friday). Liz Miller, prosecuting, told the court that on 6th March this year, Police received an anonymous tip saying that a vehicle had crashed onto its side on Yaverland Road in Yaverland. At the scene, officers found Barton standing with a passenger alongside his white BMW 1-series. Checks showed he was the registered keeper of the vehicle and that he was insured to drive it. Barton completed a roadside breath test which returned a reading of negative reading, however, a roadside drugs wipe returned a positive reading for cannabis. Defending Barton, Jim Osborne said that his client using cannabis at the time to cope with his mental health issues and that these had been exacerbated by the recent split from his long-time partner. He added that since the offence, Barton has ‘got himself clean’ and that he deeply regrets the actions of that night. Magistrates ordered an all-options pre-sentence report to be compiled and so adjourned the case until 25th October. Barton was handed an interim driving ban.