'Aggressive' Sunderland driver had to be restrained when stopped by police

Grant Trotman, 29, was as good as his word and became aggressive in Panns Bank, at the city’s quayside, and had to be restrained.

Trotman, of Windermere Street, Grangetown, then refused to give a breath sample at the scene and at a police station, a court heard.

Despite his conduct and guilty plea to failing to provide a sample for analysis while in charge of a vehicle, he escaped a driving ban.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Zoe Passfield instead hit him with 10 penalty points and costs and fines of over £1,200.

Prosecutor Lesley Burgess said: “Just after 11am police officers attended a report of a possible drink-driver.

“He was sitting in the driver’s seat and there was a passenger in the vehicle. He wasn’t engaging in conversation with the officers.

“There were alcohol canisters in the car and he was described as being aggressive. He came out of the car and had to be restrained by officers.”

Ms Burgess said a breath test CAMIC procedure was started at a police station, but Trotman refused to take part.

She added: “He said that he was going to make it as hard as possible.

“It’s fair to say he’s lightly convicted, just one offence in 2017 for possession of class A drugs.”

Sandra Fife, defending, said Trotman had become ‘obstructive’ with police because had been badly treated at the roadside.

She added: “He feels as though he was treated very roughly by police at the scene of his arrest.

“Unfortunately, and it was his fault, it set the scene. He accepts that he was obstructive and wasn’t playing.

“He’s a young man working industriously. He also maintains that he hadn’t had a lot to drink.”

Judge Passfield also fined Trotman £800, with £320 court costs and £85 court costs for the driving offence.

Trotman also pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to surrender to custody on Sunday, August 28.

For that offence, he was sentenced to a day in custody which he had already served after his arrest on a warrant.