Drug-driver broke curfew 'because his dog escaped'

Man breached conditions of community order that stopped him leaving home at night

A TADLEY man was back in court last week – for breaching the conditions of a community order issued for drug-driving.

Matthew Francis Keeley, 39, of Reynards Close, was convicted in March after being caught behind the wheel under the influence of drugs last year.

He was in the dock again at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday for breaching the conditions of the order, which puts him under curfew with electronic monitoring between 8pm and 6am.

On at least three occasions between April 7 and April 30, Mr Keeley was not at home between these hours, the court heard.

Magistrates were told that he was away from home between 1.38am and 3.04am on April 7, between 9.18pm and 10.14pm on April 25, and between 8pm and 9.18pm on April 30.

Mr Keeley’s defence lawyer said: “These breaches of the community order were because his dog had escaped.

“From his road the dog can get to the [Tadley] common.

“This meant he had to get up in the middle of the night to chase his dog and bring him home.

“On another occasion he missed the curfew because his partner was moving house.”

The defence lawyer also highlighted that Mr Keeley was adhering to the other community order he received, which stated that he must attend rehabilitation appointments with a responsible officer or designated person for a maximum of 20 days.

“He gets to all his appointments and he is making really good progress,” the defence added.

The community order for the drug-driving relates to an incident in Basingstoke on December 12 last year, when he had more than 200ug/L of benzoylecgonine in his blood.

In addition to the order, he also received a 23-month driving ban.

For the breach of his community order, magistrates added a further five days to the existing order to attend rehabilitation appointments.

He was not fined or made to pay a surcharge due to his lack of means.