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13
Apr
Harrogate man who was 16 times drug-drive limit banned from driving
A Harrogate man who was 16 times the legal drug-drive limit was sentenced on Friday (April 11).
Paul Marsh, of Leeds Road, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug-driving at Harrogate Magistrates Court on February 20.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. However, this did not happen and a report was put together on Friday morning ahead of the hearing.
Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting, told the court police were on patrol in the early hours of November 30, 2024.
At around 4.50am, officers saw a car leaving a petrol station on Wetherby Road. They recognised the car as they had received information about it earlier that evening.
Police stopped the driver on Forest Moor Road and saw a cannabis pipe inside the car.
The court heard a roadside drug test was carried out, which was positive.
Marsh, 38, was arrested and blood samples taken at the police station recorded 800 micrograms of benzoylecgonine – a breakdown product of cocaine – in one litre of blood. The legal limit is just 50 micrograms.
The sample also recorded 60 micrograms of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in one litre of blood. The legal limit is just 10 micrograms.
Ms Ibbotson said two other substances were detected in Marsh’s blood but they were under the legal limit.
'I cannot ever take drugs again'
Marsh, who was not legally represented in court, said he was “not aware” he would have been over the drug-drive limit at the time.
He claimed to have taken cocaine a few days earlier at a party.
Marsh added:
I cannot ever take drugs again because I am allergic to opioids. There was a concoction in the drugs I took, but I wasn’t aware.
A probation officer told the court Marsh claimed he had not taken any drugs on the day of the offence.
Marsh thought he was taking pure cocaine, but he was not aware it had been mixed with MDMA and other substances.
The court heard:
The defendant tells me he now has the knowledge that taking drugs and driving are not compatible. He said he has not taken any drugs since the incident.
He also recognises that drug-driving puts other road users at risk of serious harm.
The officer told the court Marsh started taking drugs around 10 years ago after trying them at a festival. He has used them on a “recreational basis” ever since.
The defendant also suffers from stress and anxiety, the court heard.
Magistrates sentenced Marsh to a 12-month community order, which includes 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was banned from driving for 24 months and must pay a total of £199 to the court.
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