Needle fear driver said no to test

Published on 10/07/2012 12:00

A SUSPECTED drink driver blamed “needle phobia” for refusing to give police a blood sample.

Robert Samson had failed three breath tests, a court heard yesterday. As breathalysers gave conflicting results, officers wanted to check his blood-alcohol level.

He refused, saying: “I don’t like needles.”

Unemployed scaffolder Samson, 33, of Livingston, West Lothian, escaped a driving ban when he appeared at the town’s sheriff court yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of failing to provide a blood sample and was fined £225 and had ten penalty points added to his licence.

Paul Beaton, prosecuting, said a roadside breath test proved positive, and Samson failed two further breath tests at the police station.

One result showed he was more than twice the 35mg limit. A second indicated he was nearly three times the limit.

Mr Beaton said: “The results were deemed unsuitable for any prosecution so he was required to provide a sample of blood. He refused.”

Samson declined to comment as he left court.