Cocaine driver caught swerving on M27

A DRIVER high on cocaine spotted swerving his BMW on the M27 has been spared jail.
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Police

Jake Bolster was spotted by a routine police patrol travelling westbound on the motorway.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the 24-year-old drove his silver 3 Series BMW on to the carriageway from the sliproad at junction 11 for Fareham on June 25, immediately going into the far lane.

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Jeffrey Lamb, prosecuting, said: ‘He drove very nearly off the motorway and into the central reservation.

‘It corrected itself and travelled in lane three while lane two was empty.

‘The car had been weaving albeit within its lane and officers thought there was a problem with the driver perhaps being impaired in some way.’

He was stopped just past junction 9 for Whiteley. Bolster, of Thorngate Way, Gosport, was breathalysed and subject to a drug test, which found he had 183mg of cocaine per litre, more than triple the 50mg limit.

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Mr Lamb added: ‘He appeared restless, nervous and officers noted pupil dilation.’

The court heard he was previously handed a suspended sentence after admitting possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of amphetamine and MDMA.

Addressing Bolster, Recorder Rufus Taylor said: ‘This was a bad bit of driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

‘You could either kill yourself or, much worse, you could kill someone else.’

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Since getting a 12-month term suspended for 16 months for the previous drug offences on July 6, Bolster has applied for another job and has done well on probation, the court heard.

Mr Taylor, who banned Bolster from driving for two years, increased the suspended term to last until July, with 100 hours of unpaid work and two-month curfew between 8pm and 6am. Bolster who nodded as he was sentenced, must pay £340 costs.

Daniel Reilly, mitigating, said Bolster was now getting help for his drug use.

He said: ‘He says in the past two weeks there has been a significant decrease in terms of what he’s using.’