Sunderland car sales executive caught drink driving in company BMW banned from driving

Sam McCormick, 25, of Corning Road, Millfield, Sunderland, boozed after work and was almost twice the limit when he went to pick up his partner.

But he was stopped by police in his BMW 1 Series car on the A690 at Sunderland on Sunday, December 13, magistrates in South Tyneside heard.

McCormick gave a breath test reading of 59mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath. The legal limit is 35mcgs.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson told the magistrates: “He’s stopped and is over the limit. The reading puts him right on the edge of the lower level.”

But McCormick has now been banned from the roads for a year – but defence solicitor Sandra Fife revealed the cost of his crime went further.

She said he had also been fired from his management job in the motor trade, in which he has worked since the was 17.

Mitigating, Mrs Fife told the court: “This incident has had far-reaching effects.

“Since the age of 17, he has worked in the motor industry and became a service manager and then a sales executive. He’s effectively been in this one job for eight years.

“He was in a company car. His girlfriend has ended their relationship.

“Because he was doing well when working, he had bought his first property. He is now worried about that.

“He had had a few drinks after work and decided to go to pick his girlfriend up.

“Like so many people who come before the court, he thought he was ok to drive, but he wasn’t.

“I would ask that you impose as low a penalty as possible and offer him the drink driver rehabilitation course.

“There’s no reason why you can’t do that, and he would welcome that.”

Magistrates heard McCormack, who pleaded guilty to drink-driving, already had six penalty points on his licence for two speeding offences.

They offered him the drink-driver rehabilitation course and fined him £120 with £85 court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

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