A motorist who drove after taking cocaine the previous day has been fined £1,000 and handed a two-year driving ban.
He appeared before magistrates recently, pleading guilty to driving under the influence of cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine.
Cunningham, of Nursery Avenue, Onchan, was also ordered to take an extended driving test at the end of his ban, and to pay £125 prosecution costs.
Prosecuting advocate Kathryn Johnson told the court that the offence was committed on June 3.
Police were on patrol on the promenade at 6.45pm when they initially stopped the defendant for using his mobile phone while driving.
That was dealt with by way of a fixed penalty, which was paid.
However, a drug wipe test proved positive for cocaine, and Cunningham was subsequently arrested and taken to police headquarters.
Once there, a blood sample was taken, which was sent to the UK, and later produced a reading of 14 for cocaine, which has a legal limit of 10, and 216 for benzoylecgonine, which has a limit of 50.
Defence advocate David Clegg asked for credit to be given for the guilty plea.
The advocate said that, although there were two charges, they flowed from taking one drug, so the offences should not be treated as Cunningham taking two substances.
Mr Clegg said his client said he’d taken cocaine the day before driving, and that he’d felt ok to drive.
‘He is acutely embarrassed, and had genuinely believed he was fine to drive,’ said the advocate.
‘He hadn’t taken cocaine within 24 hours of driving.’
Cunningham will pay the fine and costs at a rate of £40 per week.