Sunderland drink-driver crashed his BMW after running out of money for taxi fare home

Steven Shelley, 30, found himself in court after crashing his BMW into railings.

Shelley, of Glover Square, Grindon, also revealed his crime, committed at 5.35am on Sunday, January 23, could cost him his job.

He came off the road at the junction of Hylton Road and Matamba Terrace, Millfield, after drinking with pals on a night out.

Police found him sitting at the crash scene, and he admitted to them, “I’ve been stupid,” South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court was told.

Prosecutor Emma O’Hegarty said: “An officer was on duty when he responded to a vehicle that had crashed.

“He could see a white BMW that had crashed into railings. A male was sitting on a wall.

“The male confirmed that he had been the driver, had been driving at the time and had been drinking.

“The defendant told the officer, ‘I’ve been stupid’. An aggravating factor is that he was involved in an accident.”

Shelley gave a breath test reading of 65mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Defending himself in court, Shelly said he had taken his car with him to the pub but had only driven after running out of taxi fare home.

He confessed: “It was just stupid, I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ve got no excuse, I shouldn’t have done it.

“I’d been to town, I ran out of money, I thought the best option was to drive. It wasn’t.”

He also confirmed he was alone in the vehicle at the time of the accident, adding: “It’s all a blur really.”

District Judge Kathryn Meek banned him from driving for 18 months.

She told him: “Drink-driving is always treated seriously by the courts because it’s always a danger to other road users.

“In your case, this is serious because you were so out of control. It’s aggravated by the fact that you went out drinking and made a conscious decision to drive.”

Shelley was also handed an 18-month community order, with 80 hours of unpaid work, and must pay a £95 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.