Why this man ended up with a three year driving ban after giving into his pizza cravings

A drunk man got behind the wheel to collect a pizza when his friend refused to give him a lift

James Haigh and his friends “got the munchies” after having some drinks as they watched a cricket match.

The 33-year-old borrowed a car but lost control of the vehicle as he reached for his ringing mobile phone and smashed into a stone wall.

His hunger pangs cost him dearly as Kirklees magistrates banned him from driving for the next three years.

Haigh, of Hall Lane in Highburton , pleaded guilty to driving while over the prescribed limit and using a vehicle without insurance.

Magistrates were told that on August 25 he met his friends at the George pub in Kirkburton where he drank three pints.

He then went to a friend's house where they continued to drink as they watched a cricket match.

Prosecutor Alex Bozman said: “He asked his friend to take him to the shop for some food and his friend said no.

“Then he asked to borrow his friend's car to go to the shop for some pizza and the friend, who thought that he was insured, allowed him to do that.

“Haigh was overtaking a parked vehicle when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

“He made the mistake to try and get the phone from his pocket, losing control of the vehicle and smashing into a stone wall.”

Members of the public heard the crash on Burton Acres Lane in Kirkburton and went to speak with Haigh as did an off-duty policeman who was in the area.

Police were called and both Haigh and his friend were initially arrested as they was some confusion as to who had been driving, Mr Bozman said.

Breath tests showed that he had 107 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. This is just over three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

Haigh had a previous drink-driving offence on his record dating back to 2011.

Jonathan Slawinski, mitigating, said: “He hadn't gone out in a car and the plan was to watch the cricket back at the friend's house.

“They started watching the cricket and the parties became hungry, they got the munchies.

“He asked his friend if he'd take him to the shop, he said no and this young man made the foolish decision to get in the car and go and get a pizza.

“He'd just set off from his friend's house when the phone vibrated, distracted him and he swerved and went into the wall.”

Mr Slawinski added that his client's friend, who the vehicle belonged to, was also arrested after making the “really silly” decision to claim that he was the one driving at the time of the crash.

Chairman of the bench Graham Commons told Haigh: “You made a rather silly error.”

He was sentenced to a community order with 120 hours of unpaid work.

Magistrates banned him from driving for 36 months and ordered him to pay £85 costs plus £85 victim surcharge.