Driver had a cocktail of drugs in his system when he took late-night trip to McDonalds

Police were tipped off about Luke Sands-Charlotte, 31, by the manager of McDonald’s in North Moor Lane, Farringdon, on Saturday, October 26.

He noticed the smell of cannabis coming from Sands-Charlotte’s 2006-plate Vauxhall Astra when it pulled up at 4.20am, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

The court was told police arrived and the defendant tested positive for Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine and Benzoylecgonine – a derivative of cocaine – in a blood sample.

Prosecutor Glenda Beck said: “As they approached the vehicle, the officers could smell cannabis. There was a positive roadside breath test and as a result has was cautioned and arrested.

“He was taken to Southwick police station and a sample of blood was taken and sent for analysis.”

Mrs Beck said the results showed jobless Sands-Charlotte had a level of 7mcgs of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mcgs.

He also produced a reading of 32mcgs of cocaine in a litre of blood. The legal limit of 10mcgs.

And the defendant had 200mcgs of Benzoylecgonine per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50mcgs.

Harry Burns, defending, said: “It’s always difficult with drug-driving. The government says it’s zero tolerance. When we hear it’s three times over the limit it doesn’t correlate to drink-driving.

“He is a cannabis user and may have been smoking in a club, and that put him over the limit.

“There’s no indication that there was an issue about his driving. He tells me that cocaine was a surprise because he wasn’t using it.

“He was the designated driver. The cocaine he accepts but he hadn’t been taking it. He doesn’t know how the cocaine is there.

“He goes to the McDonald’s and the drive-thru says that his car smells of cannabis. It will do, because other people have been doing it.”

Sands-Charlotte, of Lawrence Avenue, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, who pleaded guilty to three charges of drug-driving, was disqualified for 12 months and must pay a £150 fine and court costs of £85 and a £32 victim surcharge.