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Drink-drive shame of ex-landlord
A FORMER pub landlord ended up before magistrates after being caught driving while more than twice the alcohol limit without a licence.
Liam Ainslie, 20, told police officers: "I might as well tell you now mate I've had some beers and I've got no licence," when he was pulled over on the A179 in Hartlepool, justices heard.
A court heard cops had seen a Rover Metro being driven erratically and swerving on the road before they stopped the car.
Ainslie, who Hartlepool Magistrates' Court heard was born in the town but moved to Cambridgeshire when has younger before recently returning to the area, admitted driving with excess alcohol, driving without a relevant insurance policy and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence on August 20.
Ainslie, who was made the subject of a conditional discharge for common assault just eight days before the driving offences, has been banned from driving for 22 months and ordered to pay a 100 fine, 40 towards costs and a 15 victim surcharge.
Prosecuting, Sarah Traynor said police had seen the Metro "being driven erratically, swerving around the carriageway and speeding up and slowing down" before it was stopped around 11.20pm on August 20.
He was taken to Hartlepool Police Station, where a breath test revealed he had 78 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Nigel Boddy, mitigating, said Ainslie had become landlord at a pub in Cambridgeshire and had been working there for around a year.
But he added: "The situation became somewhat hazardous for him because drug pushers entered the public house.
"Because of his age, the responsibility was a little too great for him and he was unable to evict the drug pushers from the pub.
"It became too dangerous for him."
Mr Boddy said on the night of the drink-driving offence, Ainslie had driven to see relatives in Wingate to tell them what had been happening down south and took the "foolish" decision to drive back to his home in Fifth Street, Blackhall.
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Weather for Hartlepool
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
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