White van driver Aaron Cogley was pulled over in Bristol for driving under the influence of drum and bass music.
The 25 year old was apparently driving erratically – police saw him swerving from lane to lane, cutting off motorists and running red lights, so made the decision to pull him over. However, Bristol Crown Court was told that Cogley was shown to have no alcohol in his system after a breathalyzer test.
Prosecutors said he told police “he was listening to drum and bass and was in a hurry,” and pointed out that he had “cut up” a motorist and turned a corner so sharply that the van was rocking on its chassis.
David Miller, defence lawyer, said, “It was stupid. He was carried away because of the intoxicating effects of drum and bass music.”
Passing sentence Recorder Mr Kevin De Haan QC said that drum and bass was “intoxicating for some. Very irritating for others.”
He went on to tell Cogley, “It’s always serious, dangerous driving. Even if you only went up to 40mph you were lucky that night. You could have had an accident and been hurt, or worse you could have hurt someone else. Police thought you had taken something.”
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Cogley, who is a professional driver, has been banned from driving for 12 months and also has to take an extended driving test.
He must also complete 80 hours of unpaid work, and pay a £60 victim surcharge. No word yet on whether he’s still allowed to listen to drum and bass while driving, though.
