Banned motorist arrested again after driving away from court in BMW

A man who was disqualified after drug driving was spotted leaving the court in his yellow BMW.

Joshua Michael Carey, 37, from Portinscale village near Keswick, Cumbria, appeared in court on Tuesday, where he was charged with being over the limit for cocaine following a police roadside stop in Workington in March.

He was banned from behind the wheel for 17 months and ordered to do 40 hours of unpaid work.

After hearing his penalty, the man then walked out of Workington Magistrates’ Court and straight to a yellow BMW parked nearby before driving off.

It didn’t take long for police officers to spot him in the distinctive car.

When being handcuffed, Carey said: ‘I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed the drive.’

He was subsequently charged and appeared at the same court on Wednesday.

Carey was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

His driving ban was extended to 29 months.

It comes after a 21-year-old woman was found passed out at the wheel after snorting cocaine and inhaling laughing gas in Widnes, Cheshire.

Madison Boscoe-Hough was found unresponsive at the wheel of her Audi A1, with the engine running, the car in gear and her foot on the brake.

She was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £346 with £223 in costs and surcharge after the incident in August, which she admitted on Tuesday.

It is illegal to drive in the UK under the influence of illegal drugs, even if it doesn’t appear to affect your driving.

Penalties could include a minimum one-year driving ban, an unlimited fine, up to six months in prison and a criminal record.

In addition, your driving licence will show for 11 years that you’ve been convicted of drug driving.

Insurers will also find out about the conviction, meaning costs will go up significantly, while employers for people driving for work would also see these details.

Travelling to countries like the US could also become harder with a conviction.

On average, 2,000 people are killed or seriously injured in crashes where drug or drink driving was a factor, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

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