Drink-drive ban for father who took toy Barbie car for a spin
By
Andrew LevyLast updated at 2:09 AM on 20th April 2010As a means of transportation it left something to be desired in terms of comfort and street cred.
And when police asked the driver to pull over, the Barbie car, with its top speed of 4mph, was hopeless as a getaway vehicle.
Paul Hutton, 40, is regretting his impromptu roadtrip after he was arrested for drink-driving when he tried to take the battery- operated child's toy to a friend's house.
'Complete twit': Paul Hutton, pictured carrying the steering wheel and seat of the children's toy he drove while drunk, has been banned from driving for three years
Yesterday he admitted he had been a 'complete twit' after he was banned from driving and given a 12-month conditional discharge by magistrates.
The 6ft-tall father of four said that an adult needed to 'be quite a contortionist to get in' the 4ft by 2ft white and pink jeep, which is designed for fans of the popular girls' doll.
'I'm not unhappy with my punishment, just surprised,' he said. 'It needn't have gone to court. Possibly the police arrested me for something to tell the grandchildren.'
Mr Hutton, a divorcee from Jaywick, in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, is a former RAF aeronautical engineer who studies electric engineering at the Colchester Institute.
Toy vehicle: Mr Hutton was caught drunk at the wheel of this electric Barbie car He took the Barbie car home after finding it abandoned ten years ago and has been tinkering with it ever since.
About eight months ago he started rebuilding it with his eldest son Simon, 17, who is doing a car mechanics course.
Modifications to the vehicle - which is aimed at three to five-year-olds and runs on a 12v battery - include adding larger wheels and changing its body colour from pink to white.
Mr Hutton had been drinking on March 28 when he decided to show the jeep off to a friend who lives just 500 yards away.
Police spotted him at 9pm with his knees tucked up under his chin ambling along Brooklands Road, which is named after the motor racing circuit.
He was arrested when he ignored warnings for him to stop and tried to make a very slow getaway. 'The police car came up alongside me and the officer said, "Are you all right there?"' he said. 'When I tried to talk I realised how drunk I was.
'A lot of burble came out. There was a dispute at first between the officers as to what the legalities of it were. Then they decided I was to be done for drink-driving.
'I was taken to Clacton police station and breathalysed. I was released at about 5.30am. I really didn't realise I should be doing it.
'I knew that it was daft but I didn't realise it was a criminal thing to do.'
Mr Hutton admitted drink-driving on Friday after magistrates in Colchester heard he had 89mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, more than twice the 35mg limit. He was given a three-year ban because he had received another drink-drive ban within the previous ten years. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs.
Chairman of the bench Neil Munson said: 'This is most unusual. I have never seen the like of it in 15 years on the bench.
'The vehicle is not even capable of doing the speed of a mobility scooter and could be outrun by a pedestrian.'
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