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Blood Specimens

We adopt a methodical seven stage process to safeguard your licence

STEP ONE – GENERAL DEFENCES

We will assess your case to see if any of the following general defences apply 

Private land

Where the vehicle has been driven on a private road or place e.g. car park the offence of drink driving may not have been committed as the law requires it must be a public place. Some car parks are open to the public but have limited class of users. In this case you may escape a conviction. For example, in one case decided by the Courts, a university campus was held to be private land.

Hip flask defence

This is where alcohol is consumed after stopping the vehicle. We can calculate what your reading would have been without the post driving alcohol. You will have a defence if the likely breath alcohol level is less than the legal limit. The prosecution will often offer no evidence if we obtain a scientists report with favourable calculations.

Duress of circumstances

Where the driver fears life or serious harm to oneself or someone else this may amount to a legal defence which may avoid not only a ban but also a conviction and criminal record. In other cases of emergency this may amount to special reasons to avoid a ban (see special reasons)

Evidence of driving

Being sat in or near the vehicle may amount to evidence of drunk in charge (which usually carries 10 points) but not drink driving. Sometimes the only evidence of driving will be a roadside confession. If the driver has not been given a caution we can stop the police using this evidence. Even where you have been interviewed at the police station we can exclude confessions and submit no case to answer where you were not told of your right to speak to a solicitor by phone after declining a face to face.

Amount of alcohol consumed

We can argue the blood alcohol level is inaccurate if you did not drink enough to take you over the legal limit. A scientific calculation can be used to demonstrate that you should have been under the legal limit with the alcohol consumed. The prosecution will then be required to prove that the sample was not contaminated. The police often have difficulty with this.

If these legal defences do not apply or are not successful we can still attempt to avoid a ban by challenging police station procedure.

STEP TWO – POLICE STATION PROCEDURE

We can view the CCTV from the police station or the officers body worn video in hospital cases to assess whether there has been a significant  breakdown in police procedure.

In this situation the Court has the power to disallow all prosecution evidence against you, resulting in dismissal of the charges.

These are just a few examples, many of which have been used successfully to avoid bans for clients of this firm.

  • Where the officer fails to read out essential information from the blood specimen booklet this can invalidate the whole process
  • If the officer fails to state the reasons for you being offered blood then the prosecution must fail
  • The police must demonstrate they can account for the whereabouts of the blood sample at every stage of the testing process and that the sample not been tampered with. This is called ‘continuity’. Charges have been dismissed where the packaging is damaged when received by the laboratory, labels have been wrongly completed, serial numbers do not match or the officer has not completed the blood specimen booklet properly.
  • Where the blood sample has been taken due to the officer wrongly believing the breath test machine was unreliable.
  • The charges may be dismissed if the police fail to inquire about medical problems preventing you from providing blood, or dismiss medical reasons you give without consulting a doctor.
  • Refusing to allow a urine sample where you have a needle phobia.
  • The doctor fails to shake the container after taking the sample as required by guidance.
  • If you are not provided with your own blood sample, or not told how to store the sample, or you are discouraged from taking your blood sample away with you or having it tested, this may result in a defence to the charges.
  • If you have been given a blood sample we can have this tested using one of our approved independent labs. Cases have been dismissed because the blood alcohol level was below the legal limit.
  • The police fail to arrange a translator where you have limited English for example you have difficulty with technical jargon or procedural terms. 

Here are some example cases dealt with by the firm

R v SP – Basingstoke MC 

The client was charged with driving with excess alcohol in blood. Fitness to consent and failure by the to provide to provide an independent sample were in dispute. After receiving a comprehensive report from the defence expert and following written representations to the prosecution the charges were discontinued before trial.

R v W – Romford Magistrates Court

The prosecution were required to prove that the client’s evidential blood sample had been properly labelled, stored at the right temperature, safely transported to the Laboratory in time, and then accurately tested by the Prosecution’s scientist. The Prosecution were unable to prove these procedures had been satisfactorily followed and discontinued the case.

STEP THREE – LEGALITY OF ARREST AND POLICE CONDUCT

In some situations the Court has the power to disallow breath specimens as a result of the unlawful arrest or from the conduct of the arresting officers. Here are some examples

  • Excessive force or intimidation. A number of clients have had charges dismissed due to intimidation, and the inappropriate use of strip searches and taser guns.
  • Using handcuffs without justification contrary to ACPO guidelines
  • The police mislead you on the reasons for stopping your vehicle. This may amount bad faith or ‘mala fides’ for which the Court has the power to disallow all evidence against you.
  • Misleading statements by the police that there was permission to enter your property
  • Insulting or inappropriate behaviour can result in the case being dismissed. A case against one of our clients was dropped due to unwanted attention.
  • You are not taken to hospital immediately after a road traffic accident or the police delay your treatment to obtain a breath sample
  • The police are required by force policy to arrange hospital assessment where your airbags inflate.

STEP FOUR – NON DISCLOSURE

A high proportion of successful cases are where the police fail to comply with their disclosure duties.

If we are unable to prepare your case due to the prosecution failing to supply evidence you are entitled to an acquittal.

Here are some examples

R v RJ – North Tyneside MC. Client did not have an interpreter at the police station. Case dropped before trial due to the prosecution failing to comply with the duty to serve unused material.

R v MA – Camberwell Green MC. Client had not consumed sufficient alcohol to exceed prescribed limit. Case dropped before trial after the prosecution failed to serve the CCTV from the breath test room.

STEP FIVE – DISCONTINUANCE

In some cases we can persuade the CPS to drop charges before the case proceeds to court. This saves you the expense and worry of having to attend Court. Here are some example cases dealt with by the firm

R v ZA – Hendon MC. The matter was discontinued in advance of a disclosure hearing. The Defendant didn’t need to attend for her trial.

R v AK – Luton MC. Notice of discontinuance served. Issue of whether the police followed the correct procedure

R V HS Banbury MC. Client was alone in her vehicle at a car park after consuming alcohol. She called the police with no other no means to get home after trying to contact her husband for a lift. The case was dropped after we persuaded the CPS the client had no intention to drive home.

STEP SIX – PLEA BARGAIN

This can be a quick way of resolving the case at the first hearing without the need for a trial. We offer a guilty plea to a less serious offence usually drunk in charge provided the prosecution agree to drop the drink driving offence. Here are some examples.

R v LG Derby MC. The client admitted to driving after an accident but was not given her rights to access a solicitor by phone before the interview. The prosecutor agreed to accept drink in charge which meant 10 points instead of a lengthy driving ban.

R v LM Swansea MC Client not told about right to solicitor by phone before interview after declining a face to face. 10 points imposed instead of mandatory 12 month ban after prosecution accepted guilty plea to drunk in charge.

STEP SEVEN – SPECIAL REASONS

pecial reasons can avoid a driving ban where no legal defence is available. In some cases even a criminal record may be avoided and your legal fees reimbursed. Here are some examples

Emergencies

You may have believed at the time of driving you had no choice but to do so despite having consumed alcohol. Where this happens you may be able to argue “special reasons” as a way of avoiding a driving ban. The typical cases involve some kind of emergency. Cases have been upheld for medical reasons e.g. getting someone urgent medical treatment, to avoid threat of personal safety or that of others, and where people have driven due to concern for missing children.

Short distance driven

The Courts can waive a driving ban where you have driven a short distance so that no real risk was posed to the public.

Spiked/ laced drinks

If you drank more than what you thought you were drinking, or the drink was a different type to what you thought, or someone added drink to your glass without your knowledge, we can obtain a report from our scientists to work out if the additional alcohol took you over the legal limit. Where this is confirmed we may argue special reasons against a ban on your behalf.

Medication/ medical conditions and interfering substances

Some medical conditions and medications influence the rate by which alcohol is eliminated by the body. This can mean that your alcohol reading at the police station is not an accurate reflection of the amount of alcohol consumed.

Medical conditions may amount to special reasons if the prosecution accept a guilty plea to driving under the influence (section 4 drink driving offence).

Call us now on 0800 044 3730 to find out how we can help you

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Spend just 5 to 10 minutes with us answering a few questions about your case and give yourself the possibility of avoiding a criminal record and driving ban.

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