A man drove through a busy town centre with two men sitting on his car bonnet, a court heard.
Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard yesterday how Adam Wright, 21, of Rookwood Close, Clacton, drove along Duke Street, Chelmsford, in a white Ford Fiesta, with severely limited vision.
Wright had admitted a charge of dangerous driving at an earlier hearing in December and received an interim disqualification.
Fiona Hardman, prosecuting, said on August 14, at 2.15am, about 250 people were milling around in the area, many leaving nearby bars and trying to cross the road.
The car was spotted by police officers and when they signalled for Wright to stop, his view was obscured so much that he failed to see one of them.
The court heard that when Wright did come to a halt, the officers noticed he was not wearing a seatbelt and had been drinking, although when tested he was found to be within the legal drink-drive limit with 34mcgs of alcohol in his breath. The legal limit is 35.
Richard Hinton, mitigating, said Wright had admitted committing an "incredibly stupid act", but said the incident had been completely out of character and that he had learned his lesson.
The court heard he had matured considerably since the incident, with the added responsibility that his girlfriend was now three months pregnant.
Chairman of the bench Patricia Dair gave Wright to a 100-hour community punishment order.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article