17-07-2025
Company director crashed car returning to friend's wedding with McDonalds
A company director found 'stumbling' in the road with blood in his shoes after crashing his car in a ditch told police he had been dancing all day at a friend's wedding.
David Proud, aged 34, of Tramside Farm, Nancekuke, Redruth pleaded guilty to drink driving when he appeared before Truro magistrates last week.
He said he had been at a friend's wedding all day and decided to go and get a McDonalds and the accident happened as he was trying to eat it on the way back.
The prosecution told the court that on June 15 this year two police officers were driving along Alexandra Road, Illogan when they came across Proud "stumbling" in the road and he appeared drunk.
They drove on 100 meters down the road and found a vehicle in a ditch on its side and they could smell burning rubber.
"Officers went back to the defendant who confirmed that he was the driver of the vehicle. He was arrested following a positive roadside breath test and taken to Camborne Police Station where he gave a reading of 44 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath," said the prosecution.
The went on: "The defendant admitted he'd been drinking and said he had been to a friend's wedding in Four Lanes."
Proud told police he'd gone to pick up a takeaway at McDonalds and had been eating that whilst driving and was reaching down for the food when his hand slipped off the wheel causing the car to go into the ditch.
He said he'd drunk five pints of beer throughout the day.
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Proud told the court he is a company director. He said he wasn't stumbling in the road because he was drunk but because he had been dancing all day and his feet were covered in blood from the blisters it caused.
He said it was relatively low reading, the legal limit being 35.
Magistrates banned Proud from driving for 13 months. He accepted the drink driving course which will reduce his ban by 13 weeks if he takes it by March 3, 2026.
He was also fined £2,500, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a surcharge of £320.
He said he could pay it in 28 days.
