Amateur boxer handed driving ban in court

An amateur boxer, who prides himself on keeping fit, was found at the wheel with 15 times the specified amount of cannabis in his system.
An amateur boxer was given a one year driving ban after he appeared before Burnley Magistrates CourtAn amateur boxer was given a one year driving ban after he appeared before Burnley Magistrates Court
An amateur boxer was given a one year driving ban after he appeared before Burnley Magistrates Court

Alec Tom Cunningham was stopped at 8.40am, when police were making routine pre-Christmas checks on motorists to see if they were over the drink-drive limit.

Cunningham, who trains at a gym in Colne, also had diazepam in his blood, but claimed his friend had given him some pills to help ease toothache and he didn't know what they were.

He gave a negative breath test, Burnley magistrates heard.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 34-year-old defendant, who runs a second-hand shop in Burnley, has now been banned from driving for a year.

Miss Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, told the court a drugs test proved positive. Cunningham had 30 microgrammes of Delta -9-Tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood in his system. The limit is two.

He also had 707 microgrammes of diazepam per litre of blood. The limit is 550.

Mr Philip Turner, defending, said Cunningham had been to his girlfriend's house in Padiham the evening before.

He accepted he had smoked some cannabis.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The solicitor added:"He tells me he had been suffering from loss of sleep due to toothache. His friend gave him some tablets and said they would help him sleep.

"He had no idea what they were. It appears they were diazepam."

Mr Turner said :"There were no allegations of any bad driving. It was simply that he was pulled over and one of the officers says he could smell cannabis."

The solicitor went on: "He is self -employed and a disqualification is going to cause him considerable inconvenience, but he says he will have to take that on the chin.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"He is a keen amateur boxer. He lives an otherwise quite healthy lifestyle and keeps himself fit. "

Cunningham, of Springfield Road, Burnley, admitted two counts of driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit on Friday, December 1st.

He was fined £120 and was told to pay £85 costs and a £35 victim surcharge.