Two drug drivers in Bulwell are sentenced on the same day

Two drug drivers who were arrested in Bulwell have been sentenced at Nottingham Magistrates Court on the same day.
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James Harrison was stopped just after midnight, on October 27, last year, when officers saw his Vauxhall stationary at green traffic lights, on Hucknall Lane, said prosecutor Becky Allsop.

A test revealed he had 2.7 mcgs of cannabis in his blood stream, when the legal limit is 2 mcgs.

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Shannon English, mitigating, said Harrison had been working 70-hour weeks and suffering from stress. He had self-medicated with cannabis but "felt fine to drive."

The drivers had cannabis in their systemsThe drivers had cannabis in their systems
The drivers had cannabis in their systems

He was now seeking help, she said, and described the incident as "a wake-up call."

Harrison, 38, of Raleigh Street, Nottingham, admitted drug driving. On Friday he was banned for 12 months, fined £412 and ordered to pay a £41 government surcharge with £85 costs.

The court also heard about Keelan Burton, whose Mercedes was stopped on Squires Avenue, in Bulwell, at noon, on November 12, last year.

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"He had bloodshot eyes and there were remnants of cannabis in the car," Ms Allsop said. A test revealed he had 2.6 mcgs of cannabis in his blood stream.

Burton, 26, of Broxtowe Lane, Aspley, admitted the offence and told the court: "There is no excuse for what I have done."

Representing himself, he said he "had a spliff before going to work at 6am," during a period of extreme personal difficulty.

The court heard he was disqualified in February 2020, following a conviction for drug driving dating back to May 2019.

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On Friday, he was banned for three years, fined £300 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

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