An Isle of Wight restaurant owner, a former prison officer and a man found asleep at the wheel were among those sentenced for drink or drug driving in October.

Last month, PC Champney of IW Police, said: "Don't drive if you're not safe to do so.

"It's not complicated and unless you want to risk your own, or someone else's life, it's just plain reckless."

Below is a round-up of the Island’s drink and drug driving convictions last month:


Beverley Mitchell

The 61-year-old, of Niton Road in Rookley, was driving a silver Kia when she narrowly missed the parked vehicle of an off-duty police officer in the Rookley Co-op car park.

Mitchell seemed unsteady on her feet, and when police attended her home address a short while later, they found her intoxicated.

Magistrates’ Court heard that she initially claimed her partner, and latterly a work colleague, had been driving the vehicle.

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Burham Erkeles

The 47-year-old of Newport High Street was spotted by police driving a Ford Focus notably slowly on Medina Way (dual-carriageway).

He was pulled over on Forest Road and failed a roadside DrugWipe test, which came back positive for cannabis.

Erkeles’ defence admitted he had smoked cannabis a few days earlier.

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Charlie Hendy

The 27-year-old, of Yarborough Close in Godshill, pulled over and fell asleep on a small side track off Carpenters Road near St Helens.

Hendy’s Toyota Yaris was parked with its headlights still on, and when a police patrol approached, they saw him sleeping, ‘slumped’ over the steering wheel, and woke him up.

He told officers he had drunk five beers and subsequently failed a roadside breath test.

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Craig Sheriff

Police were called to the scene of a crash on Arreton Bridleway, where a silver Vauxhall had hit a grass bank, which had left its front bumper hanging off.

Inside the car, which smelt strongly of burnt clutch, was the 38-year-old, of Marlborough Road in Ryde, drowsy and slurring his words.

Sheriff mentioned to officers that he might have taken too much of his prescribed medication, and he tested positive for cocaine.

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Elvis Jele

The 32-year-old, of Leighwood Close in Ryde, was pulled over by police after receiving a report of a suspicious incident.

At the roadside, Jele, who had been carrying a passenger, was found to be over the drink-drive limit

Magistrates’ Court heard that the police report was due to an argument between Jele and his girlfriend.

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Karen Needham

The 70-year-old, of Arthurs Hill in Shanklin, was reported twice to police for swerving from side-to-side on the road between Ventnor and Shanklin.

Officers were told Needham was seen getting out of her Vauxhall Astra on Victoria Avenue, but upon arrival, discovered that she had fallen to the ground and banged her head.

The pensioner initially refused to cooperate with police but later complied when arrested and was taken to Newport Police Station, where she was found to be almost three times over the drink-drive limit.

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Kirsty Gardner

The uninsured 33-year-old, of Hookes Way in Newport, was pulled over by police during a routine stop on Fairlee Road.

Officers discovered her car insurance had run out and her licence had been revoked by the DVLA several months earlier, with a roadside DrugWipe test reading positive for cannabis.

Gardner’s defence said she was a former prison officer and that her licence had been revoked over her issues surrounding cannabis.

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Liam Trott

The 31-year-old, of The Shute in Newchurch, was pulled over for unknown reasons on Medina Avenue in Newport.

At the roadside, Trott admitted to police he had taken cannabis the night before, and he was arrested following a positive DrugWipe test.

Trott’s defence said he did not realise the cannabis would still be in his system and that he intended to “sell his Lexus” to cover the court fine.

Read the full story here


Milo Gayle

The 28-year-old, of Wootton High Street, was handed a three-year driving disqualification after he was caught drink and drug driving just eight days apart.

Gayle was stopped while driving his Mazda 3 on Fairlee Road after officers spotted that the vehicle had a low rear tyre, but a positive DrugWipe reading resulted in his arrest.

Magistrates’ Court heard that Gayle regrets having taken cocaine.

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Ruslan Ciobanu

The 44-year-old, of Merstone Lane in Arreton, gained the suspicion of police when he “randomly stopped” his BMW in the middle of St James’ Street in Newport.

Ciobanu, a restaurant owner, was pulled over, and officers noted a strong smell of alcohol.

The court heard that Ciobanu had given one of his employees a lift to the bus station after offering his staff a drink after a busy shift.

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Russell Voysey

The 51-year-old, of Prospect Road in Newport, was questioned by officers in Morrisons car park after police received reports that a driver was potentially driving while under the influence.

The court heard that he had been seen taking corners faster than expected on a wet day.

Drug tests revealed that Voysey was more than three times over the legal limit for THC, a derivative of cannabis.

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Sam Hart

The 38-year-old, of no fixed address, was stopped in his Mini Cooper on Lake Hill by police, whose in-car system showed the vehicle had no insurance.

Magistrates’ Court heard Hart was driving with passengers in the car at the time of the stop.

Hart was asked to provide a saliva sample, which came back positive for cocaine and BZE.

Read the full story here