Isle of Wight drug driver only uses cocaine on the weekends

Jamie Coxon, 33, of Hunnyhill, Newport, attended the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on Friday, September 13, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of drug driving.

Lauren Stone, prosecuting, said a police patrol spotted the 33-year-old in a Ford Fiesta pulling away at speed from Nelson Road in Newport at 11.30pm on Valentine’s Day.

Ms Stone told the court police eventually stopped the vehicle on Hunnyhill, and Coxon appeared nervous and his face pale.

Hunnyhill in Newport (Image: IWCP) Officers gave Coxon a roadside DrugWipe test, which returned positive for cocaine.

A further blood test found that Coxon was over the drug drive limit for cocaine and BZE – a derivative of cocaine.

Ms Stone said Coxon, whose past criminal convictions include a ten-year jail sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent in 2014, told police he “uses cocaine on weekends.”

Oscar Vincent, defending, said his client had taken cocaine four days prior, around February 10, and felt safe to get behind the wheel to commute to and from work.

Mr Vincent said Coxon has been a full-time chef at his current place of work for three-and-a-half-years, and his employer describes him as an “excellent member of staff, reliable and trustworthy.”

Magistrates handed Coxon a 12-month community order to include ten rehabilitation days and disqualified him from driving for 17 months.

Coxon must also pay a £114 surcharge, a £100 fine and £85 in costs.