A Boroughbridge man who drank more than 10 alcoholic drinks before getting behind the wheel was sentenced for drink-driving today (July 3).

Robin Ramsay, of Pasture Close in Langthorpe, pleaded guilty to the offence during a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court.

Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting, told the court a member of the public parked in the car park at Morrisons supermarket in Boroughbridge at around 2.30pm on March 23.

The man waited in his car while his family went into the supermarket, when he noticed a Vauxhall van struggling to park in a nearby bay.

The van manoeuvred in and out of the bay multiple times, the court heard.

The van driver – Ramsay – got out of the vehicle and headed towards the supermarket. The witness said Ramsay was “stumbling and unsteady on his feet”.

Ms Ibbotson said police were given a description of the van and officers waited by the vehicle until Ramsay came out of the supermarket.

Officers believed Ramsay, 53, was drunk at the time and asked him to provide a breath sample, which was positive.

Ramsay was arrested and taken to Harrogate Police Station, where he gave a reading of 114 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the limit being just 35 micrograms.

The defendant was interviewed but declined to answer any of the police’s questions. 

Alcohol misuse led to incident, defence says

Mr Whitehouse, defending, requested the magistrates order input from the probation service.

He told the court Ramsay went through a “significant period of offending about 17 years ago”, due to struggling with alcohol misuse.

Mr Whitehouse said the defendant still has difficulties with alcohol and is “burdened with anxiety” due to working seven days a week as a bricklayer.

Ramsay’s substance misuse led to the “unfortunate circumstances that day", the defence added.

The court heard Ramsay left his work site that afternoon and “had a few drinks” before he went home.

His partner then asked him to drive a short distance to Morrisons to pick up some things for dinner. 

Defendant drinks six beers a night to ‘de-stress’

The case was temporarily stood down while a pre-sentence report was prepared.

A probation officer told the court Ramsay had two pints after work with some friends on the day of the offence and then consumed a further 10 cans of beer once he got home.

The defendant then made a “stupid mistake” and decided to drive to Morrisons to pick up some ingredients for dinner.

The probation officer said Ramsay was "able to articulate that drink-driving is very dangerous and can cause death” and apologises for his actions.

Ramsay is “very much struggling with his finances” due to being in a substantial amount of debt, the court heard. 

The probation officer said Ramsay initially “minimised his alcohol misuse” when speaking to her, telling the officer he does not believe he has an alcohol problem despite consuming two pints of beer a night.

However, the officer told the court Ramsay then admitted to drinking "five-to-six pints each night after work to de-stress”.

He does not have any drug issues, nor does he struggle with his physical or mental health other than stress.

Sentence

Mr Whitehouse said Ramsay is a “man with responsibilities to his family and who is deeply remorseful for his actions”.

The pressure Ramsay was facing at work at the time was the “catalyst for this offence”.

However, Mr Whitehouse told the magistrates he had spoken to Ramsay’s employer, who “holds him to a very high regard”.

“Many sites would’ve closed and many people would’ve lost their jobs if it were not for him”, the court heard.

Ramsay was banned from driving for 27 months, which would be reduced by 27 weeks if he completes a drink-driving course by a set date.

He was handed a 12-month community order, during which he must complete a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.

The magistrates also ordered Ramsay to pay a £64 fine, a £114 surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.