Three-year driving ban for terminally ill Great Harwood man (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Three-year driving ban for terminally ill Great Harwood man

4:27pm Friday 13th June 2008 in

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A 54-year-old man responsible for what police described as one of the worst cases of drink driving they had ever seen has been banned for three years.

But Blackburn magistrates were told that whatever length of disqualification they imposed on Patrick Hanratty he would not complete it because he was terminally ill.

Graham Parkinson, defending, told the magistrates his client had cirrhosis of the liver.

"It is the last months of his life you are going to disqualify him for and I would ask you to deal with him by way of a fine," said Mr Parkinson.

"He is not fit to do unpaid work and there is little point in probation intervention."

Hanratty, of Birtwistle Street, Great Harwood, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and without due care and attention.

He was fined £250 and banned from driving for three years.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Claire Waddington was driving out of Great Harwood on Blackburn Old Road at about 8.20 am when she noticed a blue Peugeot behind her.

It repeatedly got close up behind her and then dropped back before eventually pulling out to overtake.

She said it was a damp, foggy morning and she could not believe the vehicle was going to attempt the manoeuvre as they approached a blind spot on the road.

The car passed her and two other vehicles before forcing an oncoming Mercedes to swerve to avoid a collision.

The Peugeot then mounted the kerb and went along a banking, demolishing a hedge and several saplings before regaining the road.

As Miss Waddington followed the car three miles towards Blackburn she said there was foul smelling smoke coming from it and she could clearly see the front wheel was damaged.

The car infact was left on only three tyres and one side of the vehicle was left badly damaged.

Miss Waddington followed the Peugeot to Perry's in Whalley New Road where Hanratty was eventually arrested.

He gave a breathalyser reading of 77 against the legal limit of 35.

Staff at the garage later revealed that Hanratty had asked them to "have a look at" his car because it "wasn't driving right."

They estimated it would cost £5,000 to repair.

Police said they believed the case represented one of the worst cases they had ever seen for someone being over the limit early in the morning.

Mr Parkinson told the court Hanratty had a long-standing alcohol problem but had always kept drinking and driving apart.

The night before the incident Hanratty had drunk four cans of lager at home and the following morning had received a phone call from his daughter who was extremely distressed and asking for his help.

"He thought he was OK to drive and I am sure that if you or I had drunk that amount of alcohol the night before we would have been," said Mr Parkinson.

"Unfortunately, his liver is in such a poor state it takes longer for the alcohol to dissipate through the system."