AN AGRICULTURAL engineer who deliberately crashed his van through a wall on the A6 near Penrith while over the drink drive limit was attempting to take his own life.

After the collision, police officers found the driver, 22-year-old William Smith, lying in field a short distance from his crashed Ford Transit, next to a vodka bottle, Carlisle's Rickergate court was told.

A test showed he was over the drink drive limit, though his lawyer told magistrates the defendant had consumed the alcohol in an attempt to summon “Dutch courage” for the suicide bid in his van.

Smith, from the village of Stainton, near Penrith, admitted drink driving. Police were alerted to the accident near the Stoneybeck Roundabout on the A6 near Plumpton on the evening of June 14 this year, said prosecutor Pam Ward.

Officers arrived at the scene and found a van had gone through a roadside wall and into a field. Other motorists had stopped at the scene to help. The defendant was found lying in the roadside field.

“The officers had received information that the defendant had attempted suicide,” said Mrs Ward. Smith – found about 100 yards from his van next to a  vodka bottle - was initially unresponsive. 

But then he came to and, given the presence of the alcohol bottle, police said they had reasonable grounds for believing he had been driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

Handcuffing him for his own safety near such a major road, they took Smith to hospital for a check up before later charging him. A blood test confirmed that he had 214mcg of alcohol in every litre of blood.

The legal limit for driving is 80mcg.

In a formal statement, the defendant claimed that he had had nothing to drink that day until 4pm and took “two or three swigs” of vodka” before the crash - but then had the rest of the bottle afterwards.

A forensic expert later concluded, said Mrs Ward, that the defendant’s claim about his drinking that day was not credible and proceeded with the case that his reading at the time of the crash was as charged.

Andrew Gurney, defending, said: “It’s accepted that the alcohol reading was very high. It was a tragic set of circumstances.”

The lawyer said Smith was a hard-working young man who had qualified as an agricultural engineer and travelled around the country to fix machinery.

“But he has suffered from mental health difficulties for most of his adult life and from his teens, becoming steadily more depressed,” continued Mr Gurney. Smith drank the vodka to gain “Dutch courage” beofre the attempt on his own life, said the lawyer.

“He got into such a desperate state that he intended to kill himself by driving at speed into a wall,” said Mr Gurney.

The lawyer added: “He drank a significant amount of alcohol after the collision. He is now truly remorseful.”

The court heard that the defendant was now living with his parents following the ending of a long-term relationship. But his employer had been so impressed by his hard work that the intention was to keep him on, though he will have to depend on a colleague for transport.

A Probation officer in court said the defendant had excellent insight into his issues and he had begun working with services to address his mental health.

Noting the defendant’s lack of previous convictions, magistrates imposed a community order which includes a 100-day tagged alcohol abstinence order, as well as a £276 fine, £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

Smith was banned for 23 months but offered the drink driver rehabilitation course which will cut his ban by 23 weeks if completed by a deadline.

The presiding magistrate told Smith: “You seem to have engaged with all the right people and you have the support of your family.”

* The Samaritans is available whatever the time of day or week for those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or if you are worried about somebody else having such thoughts.