Shrewsbury van driver who had cocaine in his system gets suspended jail sentence
A van driver who had cocaine in his system has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
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Richard Thomas, of Ingleby Way, Shelton, Shrewsbury, was caught driving a Mercedes Sprinter on the A63 Selby bypass in North Yorkshire on January 25 this year.
A test found he had 800 microgrammes of benzoylecgonine - a by-product of cocaine - per litre of blood. The legal limit, taking into account the possibility for accidental exposure to the illegal, Class A drug, is 50mcg.
Thomas, aged 44, pleaded guilty at Kidderminster Magistrates Court to driving a motor vehicle with a controlled drug above the specified limit.
He was handed a 10-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and banned from driving for three-and-a-half years.
Thomas was also ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
