A self-employed mobile mechanic who was caught driving under the influence of drugs has been banned from driving for 12 months.
Liam Mason, 25, was stopped by police in Cumbria due to the “excessive noise” coming from his Volkswagen Golf’s exhaust.
Smelling cannabis, officers gave Mason a roadside drugs test, which showed him to be four times over the legal limit.
Magistrates heard that Mason struggled to find income after caring for his siblings when his father died during the Covid pandemic, and in recent weeks had been finalising his bankruptcy.
Defending Mason, Chris Toms told magistrates: “He’s a self-employed, mobile mechanic; he has a three-and-a-half-ton Transit van with equipment and he drives from farm to farm to do that in the immediate area. But he will lose his job as a result of his guilty plea today.
“He will be unemployed.
“This is a young man with enormous problems. He does need to work and will have to find work which does not involve driving.”
In addition to the driving ban, Mason was fined £120, with a £48 victim surcharge and prosecution costs of £85.
Source: News & Star
