An intoxicated GP was found behind the wheel of his Tesla in a hotel car park.
Mathew Quinn, 37, denied an allegation of being in charge of a motor vehicle whilst over the drink-drive limit when he appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court.
The defendant, of Spinners Close in Beckington, Frome, was arrested after police officers found him in a Tesla Model 3 outside the Hilton Hotel in Great Western Way on 3 November 2022.
The doctor, who works for the NHS 111 service in the Somerset and Wiltshire area through a firm called Medvivo, will stand trial on a date to be fixed.
Through a solicitor, he accepted sitting in his vehicle but denied any intention of driving – and claims that the key card which allows the engine to be switched on was in his room at the time.
Prosecutor Asha Seenauth said that Tesla has been approached and is expected to provide a statement in relation to how key cards work.