AN IRVINE man has been banned from the roads after being caught almost 13 TIMES the cocaine limit.
Thomas Howie, of Livingstone Terrace, pleaded guilty to a host of charges before appearing for sentencing at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Monday, March 2.
The 49-year-old admitted driving a car on Burns Crescent in the town on September 13 last year while the proportion of cocaine in his blood was greater than 129 microgrammes per litre.
This far exceeds the specified limit of 10 microgrammes per litre of blood.
The court heard how police attended a collision involving Howie's vehicle, and a specimen of breath was taken, which returned positive for cocaine.
Howie also admitted driving a car on March 29 last year when the proportion of benzoylecgonine in his blood was 640 microgrammes per litre of blood.
The limit is 50 microgrammes per litre of blood.
He also admitted to driving without insurance and having cocaine in his possession on the town's Livingstone Terrace during the same incident.
Howie's solicitor Alex Muir told the court that his client was unemployed, but did not submit any further mitigation.
Sheriff Lorna Anderson told Howie that there were "inevitable consequences" of his actions, and disqualified him from driving for three years.
He was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 12 months of supervision by the local authority.
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