Drink driving stonewaller ploughed car into wall in Tebay

Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard 23-year-old Joshua James Pennington was a dry stone waller by trade.

Pennington committed a criminal offence at around 9-30pm on 22 March. This occurred at Orton Road in the village of Tebay where a witness was at home.

“She hears a loud bang,” said Peter Kelly, prosecuting. “She goes out and sees that a vehicle has crashed into a wall, demolishing part of it.”

Pennington, said the prosecutor, was in the driver’s seat of a silver Ford Ka.

“I’ve just come from the Cross Keys,” he was reported to have said at the scene. “I will put your wall back up.”

After police were alerted, Pennington was arrested on suspicion of driving while over the prescribed limit. The lower of two evidential tests at a police station showed 95 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal driving limit is 35mcg.

In court Pennington, of Shoregill House, Warcop, admitted driving with excess alcohol.

In 2023 he had appeared in court for an offence of being in charge of a vehicle while over the limit.

Defence lawyer David Wales, mitigating, said Pennington had been “entirely open and honest” throughout the latest proceedings.

Pennington had previously sought help to address his relationship with alcohol. However, his attention was subsequently diverted by other issues which had caused him concern.

“On this night he made the regrettable and entirely predictable decision to drive having drunk too much. He knows it is entirely his fault,” said Mr Wales.

“He doesn’t seek to put forward anything by way of an excuse. He takes responsibility.”

Pennington worked as a dry stone waller. “The comment he made at the scene about repairing the wall was not entirely flippant,” said the lawyer. Work would be difficult without a driving licence although he would find clients he could visit, and had pledged to “get through that”.

Deputy district judge Peter Hayes said to Pennington as he passed sentence: “I hope you realise how lucky you are. The fact that you hit a wall demonstrates how you could have caused someone serious injury.”

He added: “This could have been so much worse for you. You should walk out of here thanking your lucky stars that this is not more serious than it is.”

The judge imposed a 12-month community order through which Pennington must complete 140 hours’ unpaid work. He was banned from driving for two years but was offered a course which, if completed on time, will result in the disqualification being reduced.