A motorist who drove after taking cocaine has been handed a suspended sentence and banned from the roads for two years.

Thirty-six-year-old James William Francis Quayle was more than four times the limit for the class A drug’s metabolite, benzoylecgonine.

Magistrates sentenced him to six months’ custody, suspended for 18 months, and also ordered him to take an extended driving test after his ban finishes.

Prosecuting advocate Harry Bellis told magistrates that, on January 27, a witness reported seeing an Audi A3 swerving in the road, and slowing down and speeding up.

Police located the vehicle at Waterloo Road in Ramsey.

They spoke to Quayle when he exited the car in Parliament Street.

He was described as having glazed eyes and dilated pupils.

A drug wipe test proved positive for cocaine and he was subsequently arrested.

At police headquarters, a blood sample was taken, which was sent to the UK for analysis, and later produced a reading of 202 for benzoylecgonine, which has a legal limit of 50.

In court, Quayle, who lives at Taubman Street in Ramsey, was represented by duty advocate Paul Glover.

Mr Glover said that the defendant had a complex background and was still on licence, and under supervision from probation due to a previous offence.

‘He has now distanced himself from drugs and has a family life,’ said the advocate.

Mr Glover said that Quayle had been working as an HGV driver, but had now started a new career as a fisherman.

The advocate urged magistrates to follow the recommendation of a probation report, which suggested a suspended sentence as the most appropriate way of dealing with the offence, and added: ‘He wants to put this lifestyle behind him.’

Magistrates also ordered Quayle to pay prosecution costs of £125 by September 1.