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26
Mar
‘Charming and personable’ art dealer who crashed near Ripon admits drink-driving
A young art dealer from Harrogate has admitted being drunk when he crashed his car with passengers inside.
Ben Peacock, 22, pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning (March 26).
Anthony Farrell, prosecuting, told the court police received a report of a collision near Ripon from the ambulance service at around 1.20am on January 4 this year.
When officers arrived at the scene on Dishforth Road, they discovered a single-vehicle collision in which all three occupants had sustained minor injuries.
Police could smell alcohol on Peacock's breath and said his speech was slurred.
He said he had been at a friend’s birthday party that evening, before failing a roadside breath test.
The airbags had been deployed, Mr Farrell said, so the defendant was arrested and first taken to Harrogate District Hospital.
He told officers at the time he had “come round the corner at 40 – I’ve driven that road plenty of times”.
Peacock was discharged and taken to the police station, where he gave a blood sample. Analysis showed the sample recorded 121 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his blood – the legal limit is just 80 milligrams.
Defendant ‘hit black ice’
Mr Morrison, defending, told the magistrates Peacock has no previous convictions.
He said the defendant, of Parliament Street, had been at a 1970s-themed party with his friends that evening and was travelling home at the time.
Mr Morrison added:
He had always intended to drive home. Over the space of around five hours, he had two gin and tonics, but he was also drinking soft drinks.
Mr Peacock was very surprised he was over the limit and he did not feel impaired at the time.
The court heard Peacock knows the road well and travels along it several times a week when he visits his relative.
But, Mr Morrison said, he "came off the road due to black ice".
He described the defendant as “charming and personable”, and said he was “courteous and fully cooperative with the police”.
The court heard:
Mr Peacock does not have any problems with his mental health.
He is trying to establish himself as an art dealer… he comes from a very good family… but the shame of this can’t be understated.
Peacock was banned from driving for 15 months, which will be reduced by 15 weeks if he completes a drink-driving awareness course.
He was also ordered to pay a total of £569 to the court.
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