A MOTORIST who was stopped by the police on the M6 in north Cumbria because of his bad driving refused give police a breath specimen.

Brian Adam, 54, who has a previous conviction for drink driving, came to the attention of a police patrol because his Audi was seen veering across the road and he was “tailgating” the car in front of him, magistrates heard.

The defendant admitted failing when required to provide a specimen of breath and having no reasonable excuse for this.

Jackie Partington, prosecuting, said police first noticed the defendant's car at around mid-day on August 28 as he drove south on the M6 near to Junction 43.

“The Audi was stopped just before Junction 42,” said the prosecutor. “Mr Adam was the only occupant.

“As soon as the officer spoke to him, he noticed that the defendant smelled of intoxicants; and there was an empty vodka bottle on the passenger seat.

The officer concluded that Mr Adam was drunk.”

Despite this, the defendant refused to take a roadside breath test and throughout the journey to the Durranhill Police HQ in Carlisle he repeated that he would not take a breath test.

This proved to be the case as officers attempted to conduct the procedure.

“He provided no medical or other reason,” said Mrs Partington. The court heard that Adam had a conviction for drink driving dating back to 2014.

Mark Shepherd, defending, said that on the day of the offence the police had been dealing with a  man who was in denial about the problems he had.

“This is a man who has been employed in roles of high responsibility,” said the lawyer.

But Adam had seen that crumble away as his marriage fell apart and he found himself excluded from the family home. These issues had a significant impact on the defendant, who “self-medicated” with alcohol, drinking more than he should have.

Adam had also lost his job.

“He has hit rock bottom,” continued Mr Shepherd. “But he has asked for help and he accepts that there is a problem. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

Magistrates accepted that Adam, of John Watt Avenue, Falkirk, Scotland, is lightly convicted, having only the one relevant previous conviction. The defendant had also shown remorse, they said, though the aggravating factor was the unacceptable standard of driving.

The defendant was given a 36 month ban and a 12-month community order, which includes 300 hours of unpaid work, as well as £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge. Adam was offered the drink driver rehabilitation course, which if completed by a deadline will reduce the length of his ban by 26 weeks.