Cannabis-fuelled joyride on mobility scooter lands 6ft 7in Fleetwood man in court

Officers said they watched tall Wesley Austin driving along a residential road and mounting the pavement more than once on the three-wheel electric vehicle he claimed he was repairing for a neighbour.

But being in the driving seat was in contravention of a Criminal Behaviour Order issued to Austin in 2023, a judge heard.

The 31-year-old, of Lindel Road, Fleetwood, was given a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to breaching the order, which banned him from being in charge of any off-road vehicles or mobility scooters.

He also admitted using the vehicle while he was more than four times over the drug-drive limit for cannabis.

Prosecuting barrister Charlotte Phillips told Preston Crown Court that in April last year, Austin was seen by police riding what they believed to be a modified electric three-wheel scooter in Greenfield Road, Fleetwood, not far from his home address.

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His driving was erratic, and the scooter was seen to mount the kerb. When he spotted the officers, he attempted to turn around and drive off. But once again, he mounted the kerb. The police instructed him to stop, which he did.

He smelled strongly of cannabis and told the officers he had smoked a joint earlier that day. He was tested with a drug swipe, which showed positive for cannabis.

Later, a blood sample showed he had 8.5 micrograms of the drug in a litre of blood – the legal limit is 2 micrograms.

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Ms Phillips said Austin had a lengthy criminal record containing at least 30 convictions for 59 offences, some of them for possession of drugs.

Defence counsel Paul Humphries told Recorder Geoffrey Lowe that his client had been repairing a neighbour’s mobility scooter – something which had been helping him with his diagnosed ADHD.

He added: “There was no imminent risk to members of the public or damage to vehicles.”

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Austin had been addressing his mental health issues and had since returned to working as a concreter with his uncle.

Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said: “Whatever the reason he was driving, he was in breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order and under the influence of cannabis.”

He told Austin he seemed to be heading in the right direction (towards rehabilitation), but he warned him that if he committed any other offence in the next 12 months, he could be sent to prison for these offences too.

In addition to the 12-month community order, he instructed him to complete 80 hours of unpaid work. He disqualified him from driving any vehicle for a year.