A NORTH Cumbrian man serving a jail term for helping two convicted murderers has been put back before a court - for drug driving.

Michael Celmins, 33, committed the offence less than a week after the trial began at Carlisle Crown Court of Kane Hull and Liam Porter, who were later convicted of brutally murdering 24-year-old Ryan Kirkpatrick.

At the city’s Rickergate court, Celmins, from Irthington, appeared before magistrates via a video link from prison, entering a guilty plea to driving while over the limit for cocaine.

Prosecutor George Shelley said that police spotted Celmins at the wheel of a Vauxhall Insignia on the A6 at Carleton on October 18 last year.

“The defendant was stopped by the police at 2.30pm and when the officers spoke to the defendant they could smell cannabis,” said Mr Shelley. A roadside drugs swipe test indicated a positive result for cannabis and cocaine, but the defendant was charged only with the cocaine offence.

A blood test confirmed he had just over eight times the permitted level of the drug in his system at the time. Mr Shelley said Celmins had 40 previous offences on his record and is currently serving a two year sentence.

Two of his previous offences were relevant to the latest offence: an excess alcohol conviction from 2018 and a being in charge of a vehicle while over the limit conviction from 2022, said the prosecutor.

David Leach, defending, told magistrates: “He tells me he accepts taking cocaine some hours before, but he felt fine to drive. It’s fair to say that the police may have stopped him under Section 163 of the Road Traffic Act, which allows any officer to check documents.

“But there was no issue with his driving. Of course cocaine, even if you don’t feel the effects, stays in your system for some time.”

Magistrates imposed six days jail, which will be served alongside the sentence Celmins is currently serving,  along with a 36-month driving ban, which will be extended to take account of the sentence he is currently serving.

Last month, at the Appeal Court in London, senior judges doubled the sentence originally given to Celmins for assisting Hull and Porter as the sought to flee from Carlisle and the police after they murdered Mr Kirkpatrick.

Celmins was given two years jail. He helped the killers by providing them with a replacement stolen car, which he picked up in Manchester before returning to Cumbria with it for the two fugitives.