Falkirk court hears driver's cocaine level was off the scale when police caught him

Henry Coffield, 37, was on another planet when officers caught up with him, having taken copious amounts of cocaine and cannabis. Readings later showed him to be well over the limit for both drugs while in charge of a motor vehicle.

Coffield appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having admitted driving while unfit through drugs on New Hallglen Road, Falkirk, on September 12, 2022.

In terms of cocaine, he gave a reading of 719 microgrammes of Benzoylecgonine per litre of blood, when the legal limit is 50 microgrammes.

And when it came to the cannabis, he also gave a reading of five microgrammes of Delta-9-Tetrahdrocannabinol per litre of blood when the limit is two microgrammes.

Police were alerted to Coffield’s cocaine and cannabis abuse after members of the public became worried about him.

Rachel Hill, procurator fiscal depute, said: “It was 7.20am and police received a call regarding concern for the occupant of a motor vehicle, who was slumped over the steering wheel unable to be roused.

"He was clearly under the influence and there was drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.”

The court heard Coffield, 5 Burnside Place, Carron, had not driven a vehicle since the incident.

Sheriff Christopher Shead placed him on a supervised community payback order for 18 months with the condition he complete 120 hours of unpaid work within 12 months. He was also banned from driving for 18 months.