A 31-year-old man from Liverpool was caught drug driving after he arranged for a friend to pick him up from a closed road near Glastonbury last year, rather than using the designated pick-up and drop-off facilities.
Arriving at his friend’s car around 1am on the Monday morning, he “exchanged words” with objecting security staff, then turned his friend’s car around, parking it in a lay-by. Security asked for the car to be moved again, as the road was closed, and told police officers about the offending parking.
Police smelt cannabis when they approached the car then asked the driver to take a drugs test, which found him to be over-the-limit. In court, the defendant said: “We didn’t drink at all but I’m not going to lie, I had a little spliff”, reported Somerset Live.
The defence requested a hearing to argue special reasons why the man should avoid a driving ban, but magistrates disagreed. He was banned from driving for 12 months and fined a total of £656, including court costs and a victim surcharge. He was also given a 12 month conditional discharge for possession of cannabis, which magistrates ordered be destroyed by police.
The prosecution told the court a security guard first noticed a female driver pull up in a lay-by on Pylle Lane, to the east of the Glastonbury Festival site. Security then watched the female walk towards the festival and return with the defendant. Another friend he attended the festival with, supposedly the designated driver, was not present when police arrived.
The prosecutor suggested the man had intended to drive all the way home to Liverpool and asked why he hadn’t brought the designated driver to court. He said he: “couldn’t ask it of him.”
Imposing their sentence, magistrates accepted he had no intention of driving more than a short distance, but didn’t accept that he couldn’t have come into contact with other road users.
The defence argued there was no concern with the state of the man’s driving, and that the distance driven could not have been shorter. They said: “This is a man who has been quite candid and who got into the car and turned it around in full view of the police.
“When the police came along he thought they were coming to reinforce the order of the security guards so he thought he had better move it, which is ironically what he got into trouble for.
“It was only a very small amount of time he was on the carriageway and it comes down to an unusual set of circumstances, which in the overwhelming amount of cases would have gone nowhere at all.”
Guns N’ Roses today announced plans for a gig in Glasgow on the Thursday of Glastonbury, with fans hoping it could be a sign the band are set to appear at the festival’s 50th-anniversary.
There’s also a Glastonbury-shaped gap in the My Chemical Romance tour dates announced yesterday, boosting hopes the band could appear at the festival. Rumours peaked earlier this month when MCR revealed their UK comeback gigs would take place just days before Glastonbury.
Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift were confirmed as the Pyramid Stage headliners for Saturday and Sunday before Christmas. Ahead of the announcements, Taylor Swift was the bookmakers’ favourite headliner while The 1975 were considered fourth most likely by Sky Bet.
In addition to Paul McCartney, Wolf Alice and Diana Ross are the only other artists officially confirmed for the festival’s line-up, though Mike Skinner and Carl Cox have ‘self-confirmed’.
Aerosmith appear to have self-confirmed by mistake in an email newsletter sent out to fans. Supergrass are strongly-rumoured after reforming in September to perform at Pilton Party, a ‘thank-you’ event for the local community organised by Glastonbury.
The 1975 named “headlining Glastonbury” as their ambition while featuring on Radio 1’s Future Sounds with Annie Mac last week, but said they’re “busy this year”, fuelling rumours the Cheshire band could appear in 2021.
The Pet Shop Boys have responded to rumours they’re set to appear on the line-up at Glastonbury’s 50th-anniversary this summer in an interview with the Guardian.
Glastonbury 50, the book commemorating the festival’s 50th-anniversary, was named as a ‘Book of the Year’ by The Times for 2019. It previously ranked third in the Sunday Times Bestseller List for hardback non-fiction books.
The book is authored by organisers Michael and Emily Eavis and contains hundreds of photos from the festival and celebrity contributions.
In an alternative chart released by Amazon, Glastonbury 50 placed 10th among all non-fiction books after its first week of sales. The book had recently sold out in some stores, but festival organisers confirmed today the second print run had now arrived and all stores should be restocked soon, if not already.
Glastonbury’s 50th-anniversary will take place at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset from Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th June 2020.
RELATED:
– Coldplay won’t be playing at Glastonbury next year
– Updated daily: Every artist confirmed or rumoured for Glastonbury 2020 so far
– Glastonbury 2020: Taylor Swift is now the bookies’ favourite headliner
– Mel B says ‘all five’ Spice Girls could perform at Glastonbury
Image credits:
Featured: Derek Harper / Creative Commons Licence
Glastonbury: TheFestivals
Disclosures:
TheFestivals is funded through advertising and sometimes earns a commission on purchases made through links on this website, including in this article:
Add as a preferred source