Drug driver, 81, told police someone ‘slipped’ cocaine into his birthday lemonade

An 81-year-old has been disqualified from driving after he was found behind the wheel under the influence of cocaine.

Arthur Ball was more than three times the legal limit when he was tested driving home from his own birthday party on June 2.

Police had pulled Ball over just after midnight in Warrington, and his car – a Motability Toyota Yaris – had a police marker on it as potentially being used by a drug dealer.

Ball said he had not been drinking alcohol or taking drugs, but while his roadside breath test result was a 0, the result of his blood test led to him being arrested.

The pensioner claimed a guest at his birthday must have slipped a wrap of cocaine into his lemonade during the party.

His results showed Ball had 162micrograms of benzoylecgonine (BZE) per litre of blood in his system. BZE is a breakdown product of cocaine and the legal limit is 50mg.

Ball appeared at Warrington magistrates court where he pleaded guilty to drug driving.

He was fined £120, banned from driving for a year, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 surcharge.

His lawyer Mark Lever said in mitigation: ‘He had been out for his birthday, a late birthday celebration. He had not been drinking. He believed that what he had drunk had been contaminated by cocaine. He does not use cocaine.

‘He cannot bring evidence of that so he accepts that he has committed the offence.

‘He was pulled up by the police. Strangely, police have a marker on his car for a drug dealer. He is not a drug dealer. How it got there goodness knows.

‘His driving was not impaired. He has not driven in an erratic manner. He would like to drive again but he accepts he is going to find it difficult over the next 12 months.’

Figures released in 2023 suggested drug driving had become more common than drink driving, with an average of 80 drug drivers caught every day.

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