'Good Samaritan' gets banned from driving for more than three years after helping friend

A man who went to help a friend in distress ended up being charged with four different crimes. Ryan Jervis illegally took the keys to his mother's car and, despite being over the limit and not having a full driving licence, went to where his female friend was having a crisis.

The "aggressive" woman was in the back of a taxi parked in Home Farm Close in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, and Leicestershire Police and paramedics were at the scene, trying to coax her out of the vehicle. Jervis, 30, of Beaumont Leys Lane, arrived and managed to calm his friend down and get her out of the taxi.

But he was then seen by officers to get into his mother's car and drive off. Believing him to be over the limit, they arrested him and he appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Monday.

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Richard Holt, prosecuting, described the incident, which happened at about 11pm on Saturday, May 4. He said: "The ambulance service and police were with an aggressive female in the back of a taxi.

"The defendant arrived to help with the female, who was his friend. The police witnessed him then enter the driver's seat of a Seat Leon and drive it around the corner.

"He had been seen slurring his words and stumbling so he was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst unfit. It's a salutary lesson that no good deed goes unpunished."

Jervis was taken to a police station where he blew 67 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath - the legal limit is 35 microgrammes. Police also discovered he only had a provisional licence and no insurance. On top of that, he had taken the car keys without consent from his mother's bedroom.

Having already been convicted of drink-driving within the past decade, he faced an extended ban. At the latest hearing he pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without consent, driving without a suitable licence and driving without third party insurance, as well as drink-driving.

Steve Morris, representing Jervis, said: "He foolishly borrowed his mother's car. She may have given him permission if he had asked.

"He got his friend out of the car when she had been difficult with the ambulance crew and police and he got her under control." He said Jervis lived with his mother and was her carer.

The chair of the bench, Jane Morton-Humphries, told Jervis: "While we do accept you were being a good Samaritan to this person who was in distress, unfortunately because this is a second offence of drink-driving within the time limit you have to be disqualified for at least 36 months."

She said that they would ban him for driving for 38 months to reflect all the other offences. He was also fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.