A jazz trumpeter was caught at more than three times the limit for drink driving while feeling the blues after his wife left him. James Lyons was clocked crawling along a road near his Timperley home at 10mph, Manchester Magistrates Court heard yesterday (June 15).
The 63-year-old told magistrates 'it certainly won't happen again' after he was banned from getting behind the wheel for the second time in eight years. Lyons drove to a Nisa convenience store after binging on spirits in his kitchen, despite only living a five-minute walk away from the shop, the court heard.
Officers found Lyons 'clearly intoxicated' in a car park. The trumpet and double bass player, who trained at the London College of Music, blew a reading of 119 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - with the legal limit being 35mg.
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Prosecuting, Gareth Hughes said: "On December 23 [last year] at 3:40pm, the defendant was pictured on CCTV getting into his car and driving the short distance to the Nisa Local near his address in Timperley. This was despite the store being only a one minute drive from his address.
"Police were called after someone alerted them to the footage of the defendant driving slowly towards the store. The police arrived to find the defendant sat behind the wheel of his car and clearly intoxicated.
"He volunteered his keys and complied with the police’s roadside breathalyser test. He was then taken back to a nearby custody suite where he was given another breathalyser test, with the lowest reading showing he had 119 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath."
Lyons pleaded guilty to drink driving at his first court appearance. The court heard the former salesman had been drinking heavily in his flat two days before Christimas while 'feeling sorry for himself' over the separation with his wife a year earlier.
He had one previous conviction for being in charge of a vehicle while drunk from 2015, when he received a 12-month disqualification. Defending, Alexander Rostron said: "His life has taken a turn in recent years owing to the marital difficulties he has faced for a number of years.
"Referring to his one previous conviction, he did something silly and decided to sit in the car, so he didn’t have to sit inside with his then-wife. Although it is important to note that he was not driving the vehicle that night.
"On the night of the incident, he was drinking at home. He lives in the same area as the Nisa Local. It is only a five-minute walk away.
"He was feeling sorry for himself and was feeling lonely after splitting up with his wife two and a half years ago. He decided to drive to the shop, but he’s not even sure why he did.
"When police found him, he was sat in the driver’s seat. He was asked to give up his keys and he was fully compliant throughout."
Mr Rostron told the court his client now works part-time at a decorating centre, having left his previous job, and his 'earning has dropped significantly as a result'. Lyons has used public transport since the offence rather than getting behind the wheel, Mr Rostron said.
He added: "He is a very useful member of society, who has undertaken voluntary work in the past. He also wants to squeeze in more music to his life.
"He has played the trumpet for a number of years and his band members have spoken highly of him in testimonials given to the court.” Lyons, of Wellington Road, Timperley, was fined £667 and banned from driving for 28 months.
He was offered the option of completing an accredited drink driving awareness course which, if completed, could see him return to the road in March 2025. In sentencing, JP Paul King told Lyons: “This is a very serious offence and that was a lot of alcohol.
"Your reading alone should have put you in custody, you were that close. However, I have read about a lot of positives as well and you’ll be relieved to hear I’m not sending you to prison today. I don’t want to see you back here again.”
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