Guisborough man took girlfriend out for driving lesson while both were over the limit

Liam O'Brien and girlfriend Sophie Danielle Jobson both failed tests when stopped by police during the early morning lesson

A Teesside man took his girlfriend out for a early morning driving lesson on her birthday - even though they were both over the limit.

Liam O’Brien, from Guisborough, and his girlfriend Sophie Danielle Jobson, 19, were caught during the lesson after being spotted by police.

The 27-year-old sound engineer admitted aiding and abetting Ms Jobson, 19, an entertainer from Cramlington in Northumberland, who admitted driving with excess alcohol.

Skegness Magistrates Court heard that at 2.45am on April 14, police saw their vehicle clip the kerb and mount the verge in Sea Lane, Chapel St Leonards and when they followed it they saw the car swerving across the road.

They stopped the Vauxhall Astra and found that Ms Jobson was driving with O’Brien in the passenger seat.

Both failed breath tests and O’Brien was found to have a reading of 40 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath and Jobson had 65. The legal limit is 35.

Paul Wood, prosecuting, said O’Brien owned the car and had a full licence but that Ms Jobson only had a provisional licence.

He said O’Brien told the police that it had been Ms Jobson’s birthday and they had drunk alcohol and then gone back to the caravan where they were staying and had some more before she asked to go out for a driving lesson.

“By making his vehicle available to her, he encouraged the driving and he was aware she had been drinking,” he said.

“The Crown says his culpability is as much as hers,” he added and said O’Brien had a previous conviction for excess alcohol in 2005.

In mitigation, Gary Farmer said O’Brien had been working that night until around 1am before going to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday.

He said that Ms Jobson was in a very good mood and pressured him in taking her out in the car but O’Brien did not think either of them was over the limit.

He said that a driving ban was not mandatory for O’Brien and he would lose his job if he was disqualified.

The magistrates disqualified Ms Jobson from driving for 18 months but offered her the drink driver’s rehabilitation course which would reduce the period of disqualification by four months.

She was also fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

O’Brien was fined £400 with a £40 victim surcharge and £85 costs. Ten penalty points were put on his licence.