Drug driver banned from the roads

A man has been banned from the roads after being caught drug driving.

Philip Riley, 40, of Small Street, Chirton, will be unable to obtain a licence for the next four years following excellent work by Wiltshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit.

On October 21, 2021, on the A361 near Devizes, Riley was spotted by officers getting unsteadily out of a car and looking intoxicated.

He failed a roadside drug wipe test and was summoned to court for having cocaine in his system.

Riley subsequently failed to attend Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on March 18, 2022, and was arrested in April.

He then failed to appear again on December 22 and was re-arrested on Christmas Eve, being remanded in custody.

At a hearing on Monday (26/12), Riley was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for four years.

PC Luke Hobbs of the Roads Policing Unit said: “This is an excellent ban and will ensure that Riley is off the roads for years to come.

“He failed to attend court twice and a warrant for his arrest was successfully executed on Christmas Eve.

“He was then remanded in custody to ensure he couldn’t skip court for a third time.

“We will stop at nothing to ensure drink and drug drivers are caught and brought to justice.”