A BIDFORD man has been given a driving ban after admitting failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis when asked to by police.

Andrew Hall, of Spiers Court, St Laurence Way, pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Sarah Hurd, prosecuting, told the court Hall went to the Golden Cross in Harvington on May 1 last year with his partner, parking his Range Rover outside.

Ms Hurd said: "He was known to the landlady and landlord.

"At 7.45pm there was a discussion about whether he should be driving, as he had drunk whiskeys."

Ms Hurd explained, after someone else moved his vehicle to an area he could collect it the next morning, his keys were returned to him and it was assumed the matter was over.

But, Ms Hurd said: "Members of the public have seen him drive off, they phoned the police."

Ms Hurd said when police later spoke to the 55-year-old, PC Bruce asked for a specimen of breath, to test whether he had been drink driving.

"He flatly refused there and then," she said.

"He was arrested and taken to Worcester Police Station. In interview, he stayed in silence through all the questions. It was a wilful refusal."

Peter Gotch, defending, said the case had taken eight months to be heard as Hall had explored whether he had a medical defence, including whether he suffered a breakdown at the station.Mr Gotch explained Hall had suffered post traumatic stress disorder since he was in a car crash in 2013, when a lorry went into his car and he suffered 27 broken bones including in his spine, with it taking a year before he could walk again. Mr Gotch said Hall, who had previously ran a large county firm, had only driven 400 yards down a quiet country lane, at a time no one else was around. Mr Gotch added wilful refusal implied malice, which he disputed asking district judge Nigel Cadbury to consider his client had been shell shocked and stressed at the time.

Mr Cadbury gave Hall a 18 month driving ban but was offered the drink drive awareness course, which will reduce his ban period by 18 weeks if he successfully completes the course. Hall was also fined £270 and told to pay costs of £620, and a victim surcharge of £50 - a total of £920.

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