A football club head groundsman has been jailed after blowing the ‘highest drink-drive result ever seen’, a court heard.
Swindon Town FC worker Marcus Cassidy, 40, admitted swerving across the M6 motorway whilst drink-driving in Stafford on 6 March this year.
Crown prosecutor Ben Worthington told Swindon Magistrates’ Court this morning that the defendant, of Clen Court, Stonehouse, was spotted driving a Mercedes Vito van at 40mph down the motorway at 9.15pm without any of the vehicle’s lights illuminated.
When police tried to pull the van over, it failed to stop. After coming to a stop later along the road, Cassidy provided a positive sample of breath and was taken into custody.
On an evidential breathalyser machine, he blew a reading of 194 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – a reading which District Judge Joanna Dickens said was the highest reading she’s ever seen. The legal limit is 35.
Defending, solicitor Mark Glendenning said he would lose everything if he was sent to prison for the offence. He said his client, who struggles with alcoholism, would lose his job, his flat and wouldn’t be able to support his daughter at university.
“You’re lucky it’s a pandemic otherwise it would have been a massive pile-up”, Ms Dickens said.
Adding: “It was night and your lights were not illuminated, when you add to the fact when police asked you to stop, you didn’t. If you add to the fact you were driving dangerously slowly on that piece of motorway without lights, it just goes on and on and on.
“It’s such a serious set of facts… it is so serious that only custody can be imposed.
“It is the worst offence of drink driving I have ever seen. It’s the worst offence, the highest reading I have ever seen and I have been in this business for a very very long period of time both as a lawyer and a judge.”
Cassidy was sentenced to 14 weeks in custody, for which he will serve seven. He was disqualified from driving for five years.
