Man sped through red lights with baby in car to avoid being breathalysed

Christopher Bowers, 28, of Fir Grove, Coventry, admitted dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol, as well as having no insurance or driving licence, when he appeared at Skegness Magistrates’ Court.

Dan Pietryka, prosecuting, said that at 12 midnight on April 4, police saw Bowers standing beside a Seat Ibiza in Lumley Road, Skegness, with a pint of lager in his hand.

When they turned their car and went up to speak to him, Bowers got into his car, drove onto the kerb to get round the police car, and went off, followed by the police car with blue lights flashing.

Mr Pietryka said Bowers overtook a taxi, went up onto the kerb and drove through red lights at speeds up to 50mph in a 30mph area, making no attempt to stop.

He said that finally the car spun out of control and came to a standstill and Bowers was arrested.

He said officers then discovered that Bowers’ partner and three children under eight, including a baby of six months were in the car.

He said Bowers was heard to say to his partner: “Babe, tell them you were driving, it wasn’t me.”

The court was told Bowers failed a roadside breathalyser test and later gave a reading of 51 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 35.

After hearing from the Probation Service, the magistrates imposed a nine weeks prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered him to undertake 15 days of rehabilitation and to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work for the community.

On Tuesday he was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to take a re­test when the ban ends before driving again, as well as to pay £165 in costs and charges.