Drug-driving dad-to-be who took cocaine on night out after row with girlfriend is banned from roads

Audi driver Matthew Gouldburn was stopped on the A66 near South Bank
-Credit: (Image: Google)


A coked-up crane driver has been banned from driving after taking drugs on a night out following an argument with his girlfriend.

Matthew Gouldburn was driving his Audi when he was found to have a breakdown of cocaine (benzoylecgonine) in his system when Cleveland Police stopped him on July 12. Prosecutor Elizabeth McGowan told Teesside Magistrates' Court it was around 12.15am when the 28-year-old was stopped by police on the A66 westbound near South Bank.

"He was drug swiped and tested positive for cocaine," the Middlesbrough court heard. "He was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and taken to Middlehaven Police Station.

"The drug procedure was commenced and analysis showed BZE levels of not less than 164microgrammes per litre of blood the legal limit is 50." Gouldburn has one previous conviction for one offence and pleaded guilty to driving motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit on Monday.

In mitigation, his barrister, Amy Miller said prior to being stopped he'd taken cocaine on a night out with his friends. She said: "It's not something he would normally do however he had had an argument with his girlfriend.

"It is not known why he was stopped for but there is no evidence of bad driving, and nothing that would aggravate this case." The court heard the defendant is a crane driver on a zero hour contract.

He is also a dad-to-be. Goldburn told magistrates: "My girlfriend is due in three weeks time I get maternity leave but it's only £9 a week with me being on a zero hour contract."

Magistrates banned the Bank Sands, Acklam, Middlesbrough, defendant from driving for 12 months and ordered him to pay costs of £645.

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