Suspected Sunderland drink-driver swapped four wheels for two, court told

Anesuishe Moyo, 30, drove to a Jet petrol station on the A690 Durham Road in his car but was refused service by staff who suspected he was drunk.

They called police when Moyo, of Tilbury Road, Thorney Close, drove off in a Peugeot motor on Tuesday, July 26.

Prosecutor Marc Atkins said officers were on hand when he returned soon afterwards on a bicycle.

Moyo gave a positive breath test of twice the limit but then refused to provide two evidential samples at a police station after his arrest.

Magistrates in South Tyneside were told he had committed the same fail-to-provide offence in 2014 and was now subject to a mandatory three-year minimum ban.

Mr Atkins said: “The defendant drove a Peugeot to the Jet station in Sunderland.

“He went to the cashier but was refused service because the cashier believed that the defendant was intoxicated.

“He returned to his vehicle and drove away. Police were called.

“The defendant then returned to the petrol station on his bicycle, and he was arrested. He did provide a breath test which he failed.

“He was taken to Southwick police station and during the CAMIC procedure, he failed to provide.

“That was despite being shown a demonstration about how to provide by an officer. He sucked on the tube instead of blowing.”

The court heard Moyo, who pleaded guilty to failing to provide a sample for analysis, has six previous criminal convictions.

Charlton Carr, defending, said Moyo did give a non-evidential breath sample at the roadside of 70mcg, against a legal limit of 35mcg.

He told the hearing: “He did blow at the roadside and my experience is that they are quite accurate.

“It’s an early guilty plea and I’d ask you to give credit for that. The aggravating feature is that there’s a previous conviction.”

Magistrates handed Moyo an interim driving ban and adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report.

They granted him unconditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, September 7.