Written 23rd April 2014 by Olliers Solicitors
Important Note
If you were involved in an accident and taken to hospital, the police may have taken a blood or urine sample from you during your time as a patient as part of their investigation.
We have a 100% success rate of defending cases where a hospital procedure has taken place.
If you have found yourself in this position then we must urge you to contact us immediately to discuss this further as we are confident that we will be able to help.
Further Information/Guidance
There are strict procedures in place that govern how a suspect should be treated whilst in hospital that must be adhered to. Our perfect record is due to our expertise that allows us to identify procedural flaws in the Prosecution’s case (usually from the very outset).
Blood or Urine Samples
In the unlikely event that the Police have conducted the hospital procedures correctly, there is still a huge hurdle that the Prosecution must get over if they are to convict you. The laws and procedures that govern the taking and analysis of samples provide a defendant with a number of safeguards and we also have an over 95% success rate of successfully defending cases where a blood or urine sample has been taken (whether conducted at the hospital or not).
You should have been given your own sample to have independently analysed and we urge you to do this immediately. The booklet of approved laboratories can be found on the Royal Society of Chemists website. If you are unsure where to send your sample then please contact us and one of our lawyers will be happy to recommend a laboratory.
I Have Not Been Charged Yet, Do I Need to Instruct You Now?
If you have been bailed to attend the police station before formally being charged then you may wonder if it is worth instructing somebody at this stage.
The key to our success is preparation and you give yourself a much higher chance of success if you obtain representation (or at the very least seek our advice) as early as possible.
One of the first steps we take at Olliers Motor Law is to take a full and extremely detailed statement from you. If you wait until after being charged, you may find that you have forgotten some of the more important details that may have proven to be beneficial to your case.
Pleading Guilty
It is important to be aware of the penalties for drink driving before deciding to plead guilty. The penalty is largely dependent upon how high your alcohol reading was but other circumstances will also be taken into account such as:
- First Offence
The minimum penalty for a first offender is 12 months disqualification from driving and a fine of up to £5000. - Second Offence within a 10 Year Period
The minimum penalty instantly increases to a 3 year disqualification solely on the basis that it is a second offence within 10 years. - Second Offence within a 3 Year Period and/or an Extremely High Alcohol Level
The Court will consider imposing a prison sentence of up to 6 months, in addition to a disqualification and fine.
Impact of a Drink Driving Conviction
Most people already know about the mandatory disqualification from driving, but there are some long term consequences that many people do not consider such as:
- Your ability to work
- A significant increase of your insurance premiums (often by thousands!) for 5 years
- Restrictions on travel
- Social stigma
- A criminal conviction which will remain on your record indefinitely and your licence for 11 years
We understand that almost everybody will want to secure the minimum penalty in light of the above and offer a fixed fee service to help you achieve this.
This level of representation includes the meticulous preparation of your case, one of our specialist lawyers on hand for advice over the telephone any time between 8am and 10pm and a specialist court advocate who will accompany you to court and conduct the hearing for you.
If you were involved in an accident and a hospital procedure took place during your time as a patient, contact us on 0808 168 0017.
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Olliers is one of the UK’s leading criminal defence and regulatory law firms, specialising in the defence of individuals, businesses, and other organisations across a broad range of corporate and financial crime, regulatory offences, serious crime and sexual offences. We act in professional discipline matters. We use the same skillset to represent individuals and organisations facing criticism before inquests and public inquires.
