Drink-drive ban for entrepreneur as police swoop

Multi-millionaire Carr, 46, who pleaded guilty at Bournemouth Magistrates Court on Monday to driving his Bentley with excess alcohol on March 27, was also ordered to pay a £600 fine and £43 in costs, which he paid with his credit card.

Prosecutor David Josty said police received information at 6.25pm that there was a possibility of someone being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle near Salterns Marina and breathalised the bar boss when he pulled up at his nearby Lagoon Road home half an hour later.

Mr Josty said Carr took another test at Poole police station, which showed he had 90 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

"During the proceedings, his breath was observed smelling strongly of intoxicants and his eyes were bloodshot," he said.

Jonathan Morrissey, defending, said Carr, who had been drinking wine on the evening he was arrested, had hired someone to drive for him later that evening, but drove his expensive car the short distance from the marina's public car park to the safety of his garage.

He said the police arrived at Salterns Marina around 10 minutes after receiving the tip-off.

"The police did not wait for Mr Carr to emerge from where he was and charge him getting into his motor vehicle," he said.

"They did not charge him when his vehicle was still at Salterns Marina, before it moved.

"In my submission, the police deliberately drove their vehicle to just past where Mr Carr lives, which is less than 300 metres from Salterns Marina, and waited until after he had driven his motor vehicle home," he said.

He added that if the police had stopped him before he drove the car, he would not have faced a mandatory driving disqualification.

When asked by the magistrates what Mr Carr's take home pay is, Mr Morrissey said he could not assess it because it is extremely complicated to work out.

First published: April 5