Drink Driving: Why You Should Stop Thinking of Pleading Guilty

Thinking of pleading guilty to drink driving?

Before you make the final decision, reading this vital information may save you from losing your licence.

In the case of one of my clients, he was already intending to plead guilty when he first contacted me. He had provided a urine sample that tested positive for alcohol, and was already resigned to losing his licence. He just wanted me to represent him in court to try and keep the length of ban to a minimum. However, upon reviewing his case, I believed that he had a defence.

As usual, the ‘Advance Disclosure’ was only made available at the first court date.

If you are thinking of pleading guilty it is vitally important that the Advance Disclosure is properly reviewed prior to making any final decision.

The Advance Disclosure will usually contain the following documents:

1. The charge sheet and bail sheet (2 pages).
2. A case summary (put together by the police for the CPS) (6-8 pages).
3. Witness statements from all relevant witnesses (2-10 pages depending on number of witnesses).
4. The MGDDA document detailing the breath test procedure (20-25 pages).
5. The MGDDB document where blood or urine has been taken (20 pages).
6. The printout (giving the breath test result) or lab report (giving the blood or urine result) (1 page).
7. PNC record of any previous convictions (3 pages).

To find out how I defended this client in court, follow the link: Case Study: Urine Specimen