The banned motorist drank alcohol behind the wheel while driving from the West Midlands to Merseyside in order to recover a debt
David Roddie(Image: Merseyside Police)
A drunken grandad squared off with police in a “Mexican stand off” at Switch Island as he attempted to recover a debt from a customer. David Roddie drove to Merseyside from his home in the West Midlands in order recover a sum of money which was supposedly owed in relation to his groundworking business, despite already being banned from the roads until 2027.
But numerous members of the public then called 999 after spotting him drinking alcohol while driving, after which he led PCs on a chase through the streets. This saw him travel into oncoming traffic and run red lights during a pursuit which was deemed so dangerous that it had to be called off at one stage.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Tuesday, that police received a string of reports over “concerns for the manner of the defendant’s driving” on April 21 this year. His car was then spotted by an officer near to the western endpoint of the M58, with the two drivers said to have been making “constant eye contact” at a set of traffic lights in what was described as a “short Mexican stand off”.
But Zara Kayani, prosecuting, outlined how Roddie, of Bridgeacre Gardens in Coventry, then sped away through a red light, sparking a pursuit with the PC. The 46-year-old thereafter continued along Orrell Lane before briefly stopping on the forecourt of the Essar petrol station on Brewster Street in Kirkdale.
However, he went on to perform a U-turn by driving over the central reservation of the dual carriageway and heading back northbound. After travelling into oncoming traffic at the junction with Bedford Road after passing through another red light, Roddie’s 2008-plate Volvo could be seen on dashcam footage weaving in between other vehicles.
The pursuing police halted the chase at this stage after deeming that it had “become too dangerous”. But, soon afterwards, he was found down a dead end at the bottom of Hillside Close, where he briefly attempted to flee on foot before being detained by officers.
It was then discovered that Roddie was disqualified from driving, being banned until December 2027, while tests ascertained that he had 91 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35mg. Ms Kayani added: “The defendant was lucky that no other vehicles were damaged due to his driving.”
His criminal record shows a total of 19 previous convictions for 53 offences, including appearances for driving while disqualified in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2024, dangerous driving in 2015, drink driving in 2018, failing to provide a specimen for analysis in 2023 and being jailed in March last year for driving without due care and attention. Brendan Carville, defending, told the court: “It is a terrible piece of driving. He accepts that.
“To his credit, he admitted it straight away. He has three grown up children and a two-and-a-half-year-old grandson. His mother has recently been diagnosed with dementia. He knows that he should be by his mother’s side.
“He has a thriving groundwork business. He employs a number of people in the Black Country, where he lives. The reason he came up here was that he had a customer up here who owed him a lot of money.
“The customer would not answer his calls. He has foolishly jumped in the car and driven up here and driven appallingly. Fortunately, nobody was injured. Post arrest, he has done everything right.”
Roddie admitted dangerous driving, drink driving, driving while disqualified and driving without a licence. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was locked up for eight months and banned from the roads for a further four years.
He will also be required to pass an extended retest before being allowed back before the wheel. Sentencing, Recorder Carwyn Cox said: “On that day, you found yourself heading up to Merseyside in order to confront a customer who had not paid you.
“Unfortunately, you had already started drinking, and getting behind the wheel at that point in time was an incredibly foolish thing to do. Members of the public were concerned by the manner of your driving and had seen you drinking while driving, and alerted the police.
“The police found your vehicle, and you engaged in some sort of staring competition while you were assessing what to do next. You sought to avoid the police by performing a dangerous manoeuvre at a very dangerous interchange near the M58.
“Later in the sequence of events, you were pursued following your exit from a petrol station. You then crossed the central reservation, drove away from officers and were then seen crossing into oncoming traffic and manoeuvring through vehicles.
“You know that was a incredibly reckless and dangerous thing to do. You clearly have issues which you need to address in the manner that you choose to drive vehicles.
“As I understand it, you have a thriving groundwork business. It is therefore incredibly concerning that you seem to treat the roads with a casual attitude and think it is appropriate to behave in the way that you did.
“It is sad to hear that your mother has recently been diagnosed with dementia and that, as a result of your actions, you will be unable to spend time with her. You are aware of the seriousness of the offending. I just hope that you learn from it.”