Fashion guru banned after pill claim is thrown out

FASHION tycoon George Davies has been banned from driving after magistrates rejected his defence that he had washed down a migraine tablet with a slug of Drambuie while sitting in his driveway.

The founder of Next, Per Una and George at Asda was trailed in his Maserati for five miles to his home in the Cotswolds after failing to stop for a police patrol.

Worcester magistrates said Davies' account of how he came to be over the limit was not credible - fining him 1,000, ordering him to pay 965 in court costs and banning him for a year.

Chairman of the bench Chris Bull said: "The failure to stop adds weight to the prosecution case and we find that the account of taking a tablet and drinking alcohol whilst being followed by the police - or as you suggested a person of ill intent - is not credible while only yards from your home."

Mr Davies claimed his failure to stop was due to a fear of terrorism which began during the 1980s. The police officers told the court the fashion entrepreneur only agreed to co-operate after one of the officers threatened to smash the windows of his car.

PC Brian Berry of West Mercia Police said: "I could see Mr Davies at the wheel, gripping the wheel with both hands. I kept hold of him until he actually got himself out of the vehicle."

Davies was then driven to Worcester police station, where he was found to have 53mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit of 35mcg.

Davies, 69, told the court he had been fit to drive when he set off from a restaurant in Broadway, which was hosting a charity function, at about 1am.

He claimed he had two swigs of Drambuie when he took the tablet after his car entered his driveway, meaning he was on private land and would not have broken drink-drive laws.