A half-blind drug driver who lost his right eye to a nail attack was caught behind the wheel of a pal’s Vauxhall.

Adam Hamilton, 38, had borrowed the Vectra in order to pick up items for a memorial garden to his mother, who had recently died, when he was pulled over for speeding.

When they stopped him in Orchard Close, Banbury, on April 15, checks showed he had an expired provisional driving licence and was not insured to drive the car.

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He tested positive for cocaine and cannabis on a drugs test taken at the roadside.

Blood samples taken at the police station revealed he was over the limit for cannabis and benzoylecgonine, a product created in the body when it breaks down cocaine.

Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (October 19), Hamilton, of Fairway, Banbury, pleaded guilty to drug driving, driving without a valid licence and driving without insurance.

Oxford Mail: The car was pulled over in Orchard Close, BanburyThe car was pulled over in Orchard Close, Banbury (Image: Oxford Mail)

He had 60 offences on his list of previous convictions, including a conviction for drug driving in January 2022.

Mitigating, Phil Kouvaritakis said Hamilton’s mother had sadly died a short time before the offence.

The night before his arrest he was out with friends and was offered drugs. “He was at a low ebb and said yes,” his advocate said.

“The following day there were arrangements being made for a commemorative garden [and] something needed to be picked up.

“He felt extreme pressure to be involved in that. He borrowed a friend’s vehicle to pick something up.”

The court heard that Hamilton was left half-blind when, as a young man, he had a nail driven into his right eye.

Asked whether that meant he should not have been driving anyway, Hamilton answered from the dock: “I did look into it. I’m allowed to drive, I’ve just got to have an extra mirror in the car.”

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Sentencing, District Judge Kamlesh Rana said: “You shouldn’t have been on the road anyway.

“Also, the offence is made worse by the fact you’ve had two different drugs in your system. You weren’t insured and you had no licence to drive. Your previous record doesn’t help.”

Hamilton was given a 12 month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for three years.

The judge also ordered that he pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge.