Man, 24, is banned from the roads after being caught on dashcam footage grabbing a can of beer from a stag do minibus while doing 70mph on the M6
- Paul Holmes, 24, was caught reaching over to grab a beer from a stag do minibus
- Dashcam footage also showed the engineer dangerously driving along the M6
- His dangerous driving, which he confessed to, could have reportedly ‘cost lives’
- Holmes’ lawyer said that it was ‘momentary stupidity’ after a ‘very exciting day’
A driver has lost his licence after he was caught on camera grabbing a can of beer from a stag do minibus while doing 70mph on the motorway.
Paul Holmes, 24, reached out his window to grab the can after he began chatting to the group when he pulled up alongside their party minibus between Junctions 16 and 17 of the M6.
Dashcam footage from another vehicle caught Holmes leaning over to take the drink from one of the passengers in the bus, but he insisted that he passed it on to someone else in his car.
The footage from the February 4 incident also captured him driving on the motorway in a manner that could have ‘cost lives’.
Holmes, a 24-year-old civil engineer, has been banned from the wheel for 15 months after admitting dangerous driving – and will have to pass an extended test to be permitted back on the roads.
His decision to have a ‘bit of a laugh with them’ has resulted in losing his licence as well as being handed a 12-month community order with 140 hours unpaid work.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that he began driving very closely behind another vehicle on a busy motorway and that the stunt could have had ‘catastrophic’ consequences.
Mark Olszewski, chairperson of the bench, told Holmes: ‘What we saw on the footage has given us a great deal of concern. The potential outcome of that behaviour could have been catastrophic. It could have cost lives.’
Civil engineer Paul Holmes, 24, has lost his licence after he was filmed grabbing a can of beer from a stag do minibus while doing 70mph on the M6
But Debbie Leadbetter, the engineer’s lawyer, protested that Holmes had got caught up in a ‘very exciting day’.
‘He had been to see his children in Birmingham. He picked a friend up and they were going to go out in the evening,’ she said.
‘They were passing this group of people who started to gesticulate and wave to them.
‘There was banter with them, they were in high spirits. Momentarily he got caught up in the fervour of the stag party and bizarrely he agreed to take this can and give it to his friend.’
Ms Leadbetter added that Holmes ‘had full control of the vehicle and did not look away from the road’. ‘He just put his hand out. It was momentary stupidity,’ she said.
The lawyer said Holmes – who was traced by police following the incident – was concerned about the effect his driving ban would have on his job.
He has also been ordered to pay £280 in court costs and charges.
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