A SELF-employed bricklayer from Bradford was over the drug-drive limit when he was stopped by police, a court heard.

Damian Mantell, 24, of Fenwick Drive, Woodside, was stopped on Wyvern Way in Skipton at 9.25pm on September 14 by police who suspected the MOT had expired on his vehicle.

He was driving a Volvo C30, heard Skipton Magistrates' Court on Friday. 

Mantell failed a roadside drugs wipe and was taken to the police station for the evidential test, which showed he had 6.2 microgrammes of the cannabis by-product Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in one litre of blood. The specified limit is two.

Mantell, of previous good character, pleaded guilty to drug-driving in Skipton and to a second case of drug-driving on July 30 in Bradford.

The court was told that on that occasion he had been driving the Volvo C30 on Orleans Street, off Halifax Road, at 1.30am when he had been stopped by police. He had walked away from the officers, had become aggressive and officers had used PAVA spray to restrain him.

At the police station he was found to have 5.1 microgrammes of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in one litre of blood, the court heard. A charge of obstructing a police officer was withdrawn.

Mantell had not meant to walk away from the officers in the earlier incident, it had been a misunderstanding, the court heard in mitigation.

He had been in Skipton on September 14 on a visit with friends. He had, on that occasion, co-operated with police.

As a self-employed bricklayer, he would not be able to work without his licence and although he had two employees, neither could drive and he did not earn enough to employ a driver.

He had taken to cannabis because he was suffering from anxiety and depression and had been concerned about his grandmother who had suffered a fall, the court heard. He had also been 'naïve' in thinking the cannabis would no longer be in his system.

Magistrates told Mantell that they had taken into account he had been compliant with police when in Skipton and appeared to show remorse.

For the Bradford incident, he was fined £269 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £108 and costs of £85; and for the Skipton offence he was fined £100 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £40.

For each offence he was banned from driving for 15 months, to run concurrently, at the same time.