Yahoo News North Shields cocaine-fuelled driver kept falling asleep while standing talking to officers
A cocaine-fuelled driver kept falling asleep while standing talking to police officers by the side of his van.
Scott Jennison had been pulled over in his Citroen Berlingo on a road in North Shields and officers immediately noticed he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The 43-year-old "had glazed eyes and slurred his speech" before he seemingly nodded off while standing and talking to the constables, a court heard.
Jennison failed a roadside drugs swipe and later tested more than six times over the limit for Benzoylecgonine (BZE), a breakdown product of cocaine. Two months later, police had reason to search his home for an unrelated matter and they found an extendable baton, diazepam and pregabalin.
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Jennison, of Washington Terrace, in North Shields, has now been banned from the roads for 20 months and given an 18-month community order after he pleaded guilty to driving over the drug limit, possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and two counts of possession of a class C drug. He was also fined £100 and must pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
Claire Armstrong, prosecuting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, said officers were on patrol on Jackson Street at around 7.10pm on May 3 this year when they stopped Jennison, who was travelling in his van. Miss Armstrong continued: "While speaking to him, they formed the opinion that he was under the influence as he had glazed eyes, a slurred speech and he was drowsy.
"He appeared to fall asleep while talking to the officers in mid-conversation while standing up." The court heard Jennison later gave a reading of 327mcg of BZE per litre of blood, when the legal limit is 50mcg.
Magistrates were told that the drugs and baton were found in Jennison's home when it was searched on July 2. Miss Armstrong also said that Jennison had 35 offences on his record and was last convicted in April this year.
Mark Harrison, defending, said: "Mr Jennison has undergone brain surgery on three separate occasions. He's suffered bleeding on the brain and has had significant surgery, which has left him with cognitive limitations. One is that he slurs his speech."
