Herefordshire carer crashed pickup into ditch after pub visit

Police were called to Tyberton, near Peterchurch, as there was a Mitsubishi L200 pickup crashed in a ditch, Hereford magistrates court was told by prosecutor Shafquat Reaz.

Officers ran checks on the vehicle and found it belonged to Darren Palmer, 41, and when they visited his house he admitted to drink-driving and crashing his car.

After being arrested and taken to Hereford police station after the crash on April 30, he was found to have 74 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

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Defence solicitor Chris Read said Palmer, of Wellbrookside, Peterchurch, was of previous good character.

He said Palmer had to give up his job at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to look after his disabled sister, and his mother's health had also deteriorated since.

That put strains on his marriage, with divorce proceedings underway.

Mr Read said Palmer was offered respite care and someone offered to look after his mother and sister when he went to the pub.

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But Palmer "over did it" and "one drink turned into two, turned into too many".

He then lost control of his pickup and crashed into a ditch, but no other vehicles were involved.

After pleading guilty to one count of drink-driving, Palmer was banned from driving for 18 months at Hereford magistrates court on May 19.

He was also told to pay a £271 fine, £135 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.