Jail for man caught driving without a licence on cocaine

A Littlehampton man has been jailed for 12 weeks after police caught him driving with excessive amounts of cocaine and cannabis in his system.
Hyder was jailed for 12 weeks and is banned from driving for 24 monthsHyder was jailed for 12 weeks and is banned from driving for 24 months
Hyder was jailed for 12 weeks and is banned from driving for 24 months

Christopher Hyder, 23, who was also driving without a licence, was pulled over by police at about 11.20pm on Tuesday, June 7 in Broadpiece, Littlehampton.

He was stopped just a mile from his home in York Road after the red Ford Fiesta he was driving showed up as having no insurance.

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On speaking to him, police noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle. Officers then performed a roadside drugs test which proved positive and Hyder was subsequently arrested.

Appearing at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, August 2, Hyder pleaded guilty to driving with 8mcg of cannabis and 56mcg of benzoylecgonine (cocaine) per litre of blood in his system.

The legal limits are 2mcg of cannabis and 50mcg of benzoylecgonine, the compound tested for in most substantive cocaine tests.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail, disqualified from driving for 24 months and ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.

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Hyder, who is unemployed, was stopped by police just two days into their summer anti-drink and drug-driving campaign, Operation Dragonfly.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “Hyder showed a blatant disregard for his own - and other roads users’ - safety.

They added: “His sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences he committed.

“It also serves as a stark reminder that drink or drug-driving under any circumstances, and at any time of the year, will not be tolerated.”

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Hyder is one of more than a hundred motorists convicted as part of Operation Dragonfly, a joint crackdown on drink and drug-driving by Sussex and Surrey police.

The campaign was run between June 6 and July 10, with dozens of convictions secured in the weeks following its conclusion.

To see the latest convictions from Operation Dragonfly, click here.

Up to 200 deaths a year in the UK may result from drug-driving, according to road safety charity Brake.

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Those convicted of drug-driving receive a minimum 12-month driving ban and a criminal record.

Drivers also get a fine of up to £5,000, or a prison sentence of up to six months, or both.

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