Ross James Philippart was arrested after parking on zig-zag lines on St Helen's Road
A DRIVER who was approached by police because he had parked on the zigzag lines of a pedestrian crossing was found to be under the influence of cocaine.
Swansea Magistrates' Court heard that Ross James Philippart had got out of bed in the early hours of July 6 to drive a friend to a convenience store so he could top-up his gas and electricity payment cards.
But when Philippart stopped at a shop on St Helen's Road in Swansea he parked on the warning lines of the crossing — attracting the attention of the police.
Julie Sullivan, prosecuting, said that when officers spoke to him "his pupils were fixed and pinpointed", and his answers to the questions he was asked seemed confused.
A saliva test was administered, which proved positive for cocaine, and the 34-year-old was arrested.
A subsequent blood test at the police station showed Philippart had 32 micrograms of cocaine per litre of blood — the legal limit is 10 microgrammes.
Philippart, of Lon Olchfa, Sketty, pleaded guilty to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the limit, and to remaining stationary within the limits of zigzag road markings, when he appeared before justices.
Ian Hopkins, in mitigation, said his client had taken cocaine at lunchtime the day before the offence, and then been telephoned in the early hours and asked to drive his friend into town so he could top-up his utility cards.
The solicitor said: "Mr Philippart had nothing to gain from making this journey.
"He got out of bed to help this individual — it was an entirely altruistic act."
The solicitor added that his client hadn't intended to park on the zig-zag lines, but simply hadn't seen then in the dark.
For the offence of drug-driving, Philippart was fined £130 and disqualified for 18 months, and he was ordered to pay a total of £255 in costs and charges.
No separate penalty was imposed for the parking matter.
The new laws on drug-driving were introduced in March and set legal driving limits for eight commonly used illegal drugs and eight prescription drugs.
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