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27
Apr
Man who called police after tent box fell off car on A1(M) found to be drug-driving
A Harrogate man who called the police after his tent box fell off the roof of his car on the A1(M) was found to have been drug-driving.
Kevin Knott, 52, pleaded guilty to two offences of drug-driving at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday (April 23).
Prosecutor Sarah Tyrer told the court police received reports of a crash near junction 47 of the A1(M) in the early hours of January 15, in which cars had "come into contact" with a tent box that had fallen onto the carriageway.
Not long after, police received another report, this time from Knott, who said his tent box had fallen off on the A1(M).
Knott arranged to meet police near junction 47 near Knaresborough, where he believed the tent box had come off.
However, the court heard a police officer who met Knott there believed he could have been under the influence of something.
The officer carried out a roadside test, which showed traces of drugs in Knott's system and he was swiftly arrested.
Ms Tyrer said a sample of blood taken at Harrogate Police Station at 5.05am recorded 32 micrograms of cocaine per litre of Knott’s blood, more than three-times the limit of 10 micrograms.
It also showed no less than 800 micrograms of benzoylecgonine - a by-product of cocaine breakdown - per litre of Knott’s blood, which is 16-times the limit of 50 micrograms.
Ms Tyrer also told the court Knott had a “bad driving record”.
Defendant took cocaine a few days prior
Clive Bergen, defending, said it was “unfortunate” that Knott found himself in court.
“Quite clearly, he had no clue that he was over the limit for drugs because he rang the police and arranged to meet them”, he added.
Mr Bergen told the court Knott had not taken drugs just before driving, but had admitted to taking cocaine “three or four days before” the incident.
He said:
It’s doubly unfortunate for him because his personal circumstances have been quite difficult for the last year or so. He regularly appeared before the court in the past, but he had cut that out of his life many years ago.
The court heard Knott, who gave the court an address of Ashby Place, was left homeless after his former partner “set his home on fire”.
“He lost everything”, Mr Bergen said, adding:
He was living in his car and he had a tent, which led to this. He says he’d camp out in car parks or lay-bys.
Knott was driving from Boroughbridge to Leeds that evening, but after arriving in Leeds, he realised his tent box had fallen off the car.
After reporting this to police, he met them near junction 47 and his tent was recovered, but it was “in bits”.
"He had no clue he was over the limit but he has now learned a very hard lesson", Mr Bergen said.
The court heard Knott previously struggled with drug misuse, but he doesn’t anymore, although he does suffer from PTSD, anxiety and depression.
Knott was banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay a total of £253 to the court.
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