10:15 am, January 23, 2023
A car salesman faces losing his job after being caught over the drink-drive limit while heading to see a pal who’d been attacked.
Police in Carlisle spotted Richard Waller, 49, driving a Nissan Qashqai through a road that had a no-entry sign and stopped him further on, according to the News and Star.
A roadside breath test showed he had 60 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms.
He admitted driving with excess alcohol and his lawyer, Andrew Gurney, told Carlisle magistrates that Waller had had a few post-work pints with colleagues and hadn’t intended driving.
‘But then he got a call saying that a close friend had been assaulted and he didn’t think twice. He set off straight away to see him,’ the newspaper quoted Gurney as saying.
Gurney added that Waller – who was praised on Trustpilot last month by a Lookers Carlisle Nissan customer for being a ‘great no-nonsense guy to deal with’ – was of previous good character, saying: ‘He’s embarrassed and humiliated to be here.’
He said a ban would probably cost Waller his job, reported the newspaper.
Waller, of Oswald Street, Carlisle, was banned for a year, fined £392 and told to pay a £157 surcharge plus £85 costs.
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