Bognor man banned from driving for drink-driving with no lights on

Photo credit: Sussex Police

A man spent Christmas Day in custody after hoping to deliver his children’s presents while drink-driving.

Driving in the dark without any lights on wasn’t the brightest idea by Sean Wooldridge, of Linden Road, Bognor Regis.

It caught the attention of officers on patrol on the A259 at Rustington, who stopped and spoke to the defendant about 10pm on Christmas Eve.

The 37-year-old salesperson confessed to having had two pints of beer before getting behind the wheel – a decision he was soon to regret. He also had several wrapped presents in the car, which he said he was hoping to deliver to his children in time for Christmas.

A roadside breath test revealed he had 46mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath in his system. The legal limit is 35mcg.

He was subsequently arrested and charged, and pleaded guilty to the offence. At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 9 March, he was disqualified from driving for three years. He was also fined £120, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

Wooldridge was among 212 people arrested in Sussex during our Christmas crackdown on drink and drug-drivers, which ran from 1 December 2020 to 1 January 2021.

This dedicated operation – aimed to provide education and enforcement to motorists – was run in addition to our routine roads policing activity, 365 days a year.

Of those arrested, 42 have since been convicted in court. The remaining have either been charged, released under investigation or released without charge.

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