A DRUG-DRIVER who was over the limit for cocaine and cannabis caught police attention because he was “fixated” on their vehicle.

Ryan Stubbs, 28, drove past the police vehicle on Hunters Drive in Seaton, Workington, at 2am on March 4.

Prosecutor Pamela Fee told Workington Magistrates’ Court that the defendant’s eyes were “fixated” on the officers’ vehicle, which raised suspicions.

Officers followed him and he was driving “erratically”. Police illuminated the emergency lights on their vehicle and Stubbs came to a stop.

He told police that the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend. While speaking to officers, they noticed Stubbs had large pupils and they suspected he was under the influence of substances.

A breath test gave a reading of 0 but a drugs sample gave a positive indication for cocaine and cannabis.

A blood sample showed he had 61mcg of cocaine per litre of blood. The limit is 10mcg. He also had 7mcg of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis) per litre of blood. The limit is 2mcg.

John Cooper, defending, said: “He tells me he was making his way home.

“There is full cooperation with police. He provides a sample.

“It’s out of character. I don’t think this is a significantly poor standard of driving. The main issue is there are two drugs in his system.”

Stubbs, of Central Avenue, Gretna, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit, at a hearing earlier this month.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, magistrates disqualified the defendant from driving for 29 months.

Stubbs was also given a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.