Blind drink driver who travelled 150 miles using lorry lights as his guide spared jail after blaming mental 'breakdown'

A blind drink driver who drove 150 miles by using lorry lights as his guide was today spared jail after blaming his perilous behaviour on a mental 'breakdown'.Anthony Hall, 50, who attended court wearing dark glasses and with a white stick, took his partner's Vauxhall late at night after downing four bottles of wine.The 50-year-old, who is registered blind and had never passed a driving test, was heading to Scotland from his home in West Yorkshire.But he was pulled over by police after overtaking a lorry and beginning to drift onto the hard shoulder as he looked for another 'marker to follow', a court heard. Amazingly, he had only stopped once – to refuel, when because he is blind the petrol attendant filled up his vehicle for him, Kirklees Magistrates' Court was told.Today Hall was sentenced to 36 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol, taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, and having no licence and no insurance.Hall had been driving for more than two hours when he was seen by police at 1.40am on June 29, prosecutor Damian Walsh said.He was finally stopped by police near junction 44 of the M6 motorway, near Carlisle, Cumbria. Anthony Hall, 49, (pictured after a previous court hearing) told police he navigated by following HGV tail lights, but was caught driving erraticallyA roadside breath test read 50 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35. An evidential test at a police station gave a reading of 46 micrograms.'Police received information that there was a driver, under the influence of alcohol, and, indeed, who was blind,' Mr Walsh said.'The officer observed the vehicle weaving in lane one, drifting onto the hard shoulder and back and then drifting into lane two and back.'Once Hall pulled over on to the hard shoulder the officer detained him and removed the keys from the Vauxhall Meriva.'As the officer was speaking to the defendant, he could smell alcohol on his breath,' the prosecutor added.Hall admitted that he had drunk some wine before getting in the car.'The officer then asked the defendant if he was blind and he said "Yes",' said Mr Walsh.Hall explained that he became blind about two years ago, but he has 'light perception'. Hall pleaded guilty to five offences including dangerous driving and drink-driving'He can see some light and he told officers that he had followed the red lights of a HGV,' he said.But after overtaking a lorry he explained that he had been 'looking for another marker to assist him'.'He told officers he had driven from his home in Huddersfield to where he was now stopped. 'Officers checked that distance on Google Maps and that came out to be 150 miles.'He explained he had taken the car without the permission of his partner.In interview, Hall told police he knew the risks of driving as a registered blind man. He had driven anyway because, Mr Walsh said: 'He just wanted to get as far away from his home life and get as far up to Scotland as possible due to ongoing disagreements in respect of his finances and family relationship.'He said that he realised the risks of driving using the tailgates of HGVs.'Hall told officers he had never held a driving licence and had learned their controls by being around cars his whole life.He said that prior to setting off, he and his partner had shared four bottles of wine.'Mercifully, there was no injury to any party,' Mr Walsh told the bench.He described the dangerous driving as 'prolonged and persistent', saying Hall showed a 'disregard for the rules of the road'.Mitigating for Hall, Adele Graham said he had no previous convictions.She said her client had experienced a mental 'breakdown' on that night and felt trapped in his own home.As well as the suspended prison sentence, Hall must carry out ten rehabilitation activity requirements, is disqualified from driving for 12 months, and must pay £187 surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.Chair of the bench Tracey McErlain-Burns told Hall that his dangerous driving was 'aggravated' by the excess alcohol in his system.