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A 50-year-old blind man, Anthony Hall, who drove his partner’s car for approximately 150 miles while intoxicated, has been given a suspended prison sentence. Hall, who does not hold a driving licence, was stopped by police on the M6 motorway near Carlisle at around 1:45 am on 29 June. Officers observed his vehicle, a Vauxhall Meriva, weaving between lanes and veering onto the hard shoulder. At the time, Hall admitted to consuming four bottles of wine with his partner before setting off from their home in Huddersfield.
During the court proceedings at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court, Hall pleaded guilty to several charges: dangerous driving, driving under the influence, driving without a licence or insurance, and taking a car without consent. He was subsequently sentenced to 36 weeks in prison, but the sentence was suspended for 18 months. Despite his lack of licence, Hall was also banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £272 in costs. As part of his sentence, he must undergo rehabilitation and abstain from alcohol for 90 days.
Evidence presented revealed that police had received a tip-off about a blind and impaired driver on the M6 northbound. Upon stopping Hall near junction 42, officers detected the smell of alcohol on his breath. Hall told them he had been blind for around two years but could still see some lights, which he used to follow a lorry’s headlights on the motorway. Over the course of his journey, which spanned roughly 150 miles, Hall had taken the car without his partner’s permission and had even stopped to refuel, where an attendant filled his car.
Mitigating the sentence, Hall’s lawyer, Adele Graham, explained that her client was dealing with a personal crisis and had no prior convictions. She described Hall as feeling trapped by his circumstances at home, leading him to make a poor decision during a difficult time. Magistrate Tracey McErlain-Burns acknowledged his challenging personal situation and previous good character. Though the court found the offence serious enough to warrant custody, the sentence was suspended due to these factors. No injuries resulted from the incident
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