Drink driver's children in blaze car

Adam Whitehead, 36, who was almost five times over the drink-drive limit, was oblivious to the smoke pouring from his green Fiat and other motorists had to pull his three young children out of the car to

safety.

Whitehead then drove off, leaving his children, aged nine, seven and five at the side of the road in Paddock, Huddersfield.

He was spared jail by magistrates despite the shocking incident on the morning of Saturday, June 19, when he drove around a mile with the children in the car after downing a bottle of vodka the night before.

Carole Lawford, prosecuting, told Huddersfield Magistrates' Court that one of his children was in the passenger seat and two were in the back as he drove to meet a friend in Milnsbridge, Huddersfield.

A passing motorist noticed the black smoke billowing from the car and sounded her horn but Whitehead did not stop.

She had to pull over and alert Whitehead by knocking on his window as he stopped in traffic.

But again there was no response so the motorist got the children out of the car.

Miss Lawford said: "There was a large black smoke cloud coming from that vehicle. She sounded her horn to try and get his attention; that didn't work.

"She asked if he knew the car was on fire; he said no. She and her mother got the children out as smoke was still billowing from underneath the car."

As his children stood helplessly on the pavement, dazed Whitehead moved into the passenger's seat before getting back into the driver's seat and driving a further 60 to 70 yards down the road.

Finally Whitehead, of Norcross Avenue, Oakes, Huddersfield, pulled over in the vehicle, which was giving off smoke because of a burnt-out clutch, and was breathalysed and arrested by police.

He told officers he had downed at least a bottle of vodka the night before as he stayed up drinking until the early hours to celebrate a job offer after three months out of work.

The shamed father told police he thought he had been on his way to

visit a friend and although he was vaguely aware of the woman who stopped him, he could not remember the children being taken out of the vehicle.

Miss Lawford said he admitted to police: "It was a stupid thing to do."

The out-of-work businessman was found to have 162 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – the legal limit is 35.

Whitehead, who has no previous convictions, had pleaded guilty to driving while over the prescribed limit at an earlier court hearing.

The embarrassed father, dressed in a beige suit and red tie, escaped an immediate jail term as he was given a 16-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years.

Magistrates described his reading as "an exceptionally high limit" and said the aggravating factors in the case were the fact he did not realise his car was on fire and he had put the lives of his children in danger, as well as other road users and himself.

Chairman Mary Hirst told Whitehead: "Your driving ability was so impaired that you didn't even realise the clutch had burnt out and the car was on fire."

Whitehead was banned from driving for three years and told he must complete an alcohol treatment programme. He was also ordered to pay 85 in court costs and told to do 60 hours of unpaid work.

Neil Murphy, mitigating, said Whitehead had been going through a difficult period and was depressed.

He had split from his wife, who was in France at the time of his arrest, but they continued to live in the same house because of financial constraints.

Whitehead was also under considerable stress after losing his "well paid" job three months prior to the incident, but he had finally acknowledged he had a drinking problem following the incident, Mr Murphy told the court.