Skegness alcoholic stole car in 'short, stupid escapade'
AN ALCOHOLIC, who was almost five times over the drink driving limit, took a car which had been left outside the owner's house with the keys in it.
John Thomas Parkin, 45, of Barnes Crescent, Skegness, admitted taking the Ford Escort car on July 18 and driving it while under the influence of excess alcohol and without insurance or a driving licence.
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Skegness Magistrates' Court
He also admitted two offences of shoplifting – a jar of coffee from the Co-op in the Hildred Centre on August 2 and four cans of lager from Londis in Winthorpe Avenue on July 11.
Prosecuting, Paul Wood said the Escort had been left for a few moments outside the owner's house with the keys in it, at 3.20pm on July 18.
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Parkin had passed by and took it.
He was found in it by police just 10 minutes later in Burgh Road.
After a positive breath test, he was arrested and was found to have a reading of 162 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Mitigating, Nicholas Alderson said Parker was addicted to alcohol and was heading for kidney failure.
He said that unless he received treatment from professionals he was going to die.
Mr Alderson said the incident was over in 10 minutes and was a "short, stupid escapade."
"Why he drove this car is beyond me and beyond him," he told the magistrates.
Magistrates requested more information before sentencing him and adjourned the case until September 14 for a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service.
He was granted bail on condition he did not enter the Hildreds Shopping Centre or Londis store.
Comments
by Roadscource
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 1:15PM
“"Mitigating, Nicholas Alderson said Parker was addicted to alcohol and was heading for kidney failure."
Mitigation meaning - an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances.
I think Mr Alderson has fallen short of the mark.”
by Gnome_Chomsky
Monday, September 03 2012, 9:58PM
“Just a thought: "He was granted bail on condition he does not attempt to drive a car" might provide the public with better protection than "... does not go shopping".
Maybe it's just me.”