TRANSIT DRIVER WHO FAILED TO STOP AT CRASH SCENE WAS TWICE THE DRINK-DRIVE LIMIT

A 47-year-old Newport man who crashed a van into several parked cars in Shanklin, before fleeing the scene, was drunk at the time, a court has heard. Shawn Cooke, of Mayfield Drive, appeared before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Friday (19th January) where he pleaded guilty to drink driving and failing to stop. The court heard from prosecutor Liz Miller that on the evening of 6th October last year, at around 21:45, Cooke was travelling along Sandown Road in Shanklin in a Ford Transit Tipper. He collided with a number of parked vehicles before driving off, heading towards Lake and then left towards Apse Heath. The van was later found abandoned on Lake Industrial Estate with significant damage to the front, as previously reported by Island Echo. Cooke was soon arrested and taken into custody at Newport Police Station, where he provided an evidential reading of 91 – the legal limit being 35. Cooke has been slapped with an interim driving disqualification ahead of sentencing on 8th March 2024. An all-options pre-sentence report from Probation has been requested by Magistrates.