Ex heroin user's road accident due to prescription drugs in Worksop

A former heroin addict was ruled unfit to drive after a collision in Worksop because he had been taking prescription medicine, a court has heard.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.Mansfield Magistrates Court.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.

Christopher Keith Eyre, 44, of Crown Place, Worksop, admitted driving while unfit through drugs when he appeared at Mansfield court on Wednesday.

The court heard Eyre drove erratically, swerved over the white line and clipped the wing mirror of an oncoming car on Gateford Road on May 8.

He also collided with a fence while trying to perform a three-point turn.

Ruth Snodin, prosecuting, said officers saw his eyes were glazed and his speech was slurred, but a breath test revealed he had no alcohol in his system.

Blood tests showed he had been taking a number of different prescription medicines.

An expert said he could not comment on how the mixture of drugs would affect an individual person. But he said it could have affected Eyre’s ability to drive.

Yvonne Wragg, mitigating, said: “He has a very troubled background. As a result he turned to heroin. He has been on and off using heroin for the last 15 years.

“He has engaged really well with drug workers and will go into rehab in the near future.”

District Judge Andrew Davison told Eyre: “You had no alcohol which is very rare. Police saw something was not quite right. They saw that you were staggering.

“This is an unfortunate case. It is not caused by illicit drugs, though you have taken plenty of those.”

He fined Eyre £120 and ordered him to pay a £30 victim surcharge and costs of £85.

He was banned from driving for 12 months.

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