The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A Long Sutton man seen reversing down a one-way street in Spalding was found to have been under the influence of drugs, a court has heard.
Matthew Cousins, 21 of John Swains Way, Long Sutton admitted driving whilst under the influence of benzoylecgonine and cocaine when he appeared at Boston Magistrates Court.
Prosecuting, Marie Stace said police saw Cousins reversing his VW Golf down Double Street in Spalding at midnight on June 25 and he failed a drugs test, showing a reading of 800 micrograms of benzoylecgonine, the legal limit being 50, and 65 micrograms of cocaine, the legal limit being 10.
Mitigating, Neil Sands said Cousins had been self medicating with illegal drugs as he had been unsettled
and did not get on with his prescribed medication.
He said Cousins had wanted to go and see a friend to talk about his difficulties and when he thought he
saw him in Double Street, he reversed back up the one way street.
Mr Sands said both the drugs in his system were the same, as benzoylecgonine was what the body
produced as it broke down the cocaine and his cocaine reading was what the body had not yet processed.
Cousins, who had no previous convictions, was banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay a fine,
costs and charges totalling £195.
