Overview

• Ball pleaded guilty to drug driving at Warrington Magistrates Court after a roadside drug wipe led to his arrest despite a zero breath-test result.
• Prosecutors presented blood analysis showing 162 micrograms per litre of benzoylecgonine, more than three times the legal limit.
• JP Andrew Pope fined Ball £120, ordered £85 in costs and a £48 surcharge, and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
• Ball’s defence emphasised his age, hearing aids and reliance on a Motability car with carer support to illustrate how the ban would affect his mobility.
• Court documents also noted an unverified police marker on his Motability car suggesting dealer use and referenced DVLA figures on drug-related fatalities and prosecutions of older drivers.