An HGV driver has been disqualified for 17 months after he was found to be more than seven times over the drug drive limit.
Mitchell Goodman was stopped by police in his 20-tonne lorry in Birmingham just after 10am on 25 June after officers suspected him of driving while on drugs and without a seatbelt.
West Midlands police said their suspicions were proved correct when 53-year-old Goodman got out of his vehicle and the officers smelt a strong smell of cannabis.
When questioned about why he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt Goodman stated: “I didn’t think any of the truckers had to wear seatbelts, I’m aware of the law but didn’t think you had to wear seatbelts.”
After also denying he’d taken drugs, the lorry driver was tested at the roadside and the result was positive for both cannabis and cocaine.
A further drug test while in custody found him to be over double the legal limit for cannabis and the force added that “shockingly” he also showed he had seven-and-a-half-times the legal cocaine limit in his system.
Goodman was charged with driving while not wearing a seatbelt and two counts of drug driving and he appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 7 October where he pleaded guilty.
As well as his driving ban, he was also ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation activity days.
PC Jordan Law-Edwards said: “This is a truly shocking case where a professional driver in charge of a 20-tonne lorry posed a serious risk to the public and could have killed someone.
“Drug driving in normal vehicles can lead to devastating results but being that much over the limit while in charge of a HGV is an abhorrent thing to do and could have resulted in catastrophic results for innocent victims and Goodman himself.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to anyone driving over the drink or drug limit. Whether you drive a car, a van, or in this case a HGV - if we suspect you or have any intelligence you’re breaking the law you can expect to be stopped, dealt with and put before the courts.”
