Housing manager fined for driving with cannabis and cocaine in system

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 07:02 · Archive

Paul Jackman was stopped by police with two illicit drugs in his system after his father was diagnosed with aggressive cancer.

Paul Jackman, a 53-year-old housing manager from Ambleside, was stopped by police on the A591 at Prizet on the morning of 29 May while driving a Mercedes Benz Vito. Officers smelled cannabis from the vehicle and administered a roadside DrugWipe test.

Jackman returned a positive reading for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis, and benzoylecgonine, the inactive metabolite formed when the body breaks down cocaine. His readings were 3.9 ug/L for THC and 400 ug/L for benzoylecgonine, both exceeding the legal limits of 2.0 ug/L and 50 ug/L respectively.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of drug driving at his first court appearance. His defence told magistrates that Jackman used the drugs as a coping mechanism after receiving news of his father being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. She stated he had not realised the drugs would remain in his system for some time, that he is now remorseful and has abstained from both drugs, and that he serves as his father's primary carer.

Magistrates sentenced him to a £500 fine, a 17-month driving disqualification, court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £200.

How it is being reported

• Housing manager caught drug-driving after father's ‘devastating’ cancer diagnosisA HOUSING manager was caught driving with two illicit drugs in his system after discovering his father had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, a court heard.NW Evening Mail · 21 Oct, 06:00
• Housing manager caught drug-driving after father's ‘devastating’ cancer diagnosisA HOUSING manager was caught driving with two illicit drugs in his system after discovering his father had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, a court heard.Westmorland Gazette · 21 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Paul Jackman · A591 · Prizet · Ambleside · Kendal

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