Top divorce lawyer, 72, who downed beer and wine at booze-fuelled business meeting before being stopped by police outside his £750k mansion is banned from driving
A top divorce lawyer who was caught behind the wheel of his car after a wine-fuelled meeting with a client has been banned driving.David Hannah, 72, who specialises in dealing with 'high-net-worth matrimonial matters', was stopped by police as he was parking his luxury Bentley on the driveway of his £750,000 mansion.He subsequently failed a breath test which showed he had 56 micrograms of alcohol in 100mililitres of breath - which is one and a half times the legal limit. When quizzed Hannah, a senior partner at Steels law firm in Warrington, Cheshire, said he had shared beer and a bottle of wine with a client at his home, before returning to his office to collect his phone. The father-of-four then stopped at a McDonald's on the way back and was spotted driving erratically by a member of the public, who subsequently phoned the police.When cops showed up at his house, Hannah admitted he had 'miscalculated' whether he was fit enough to drive.At Warrington magistrates court, Hannah admitted driving with excess alcohol and was fined £1,536, with £699 in costs and a victim surcharge. He was also disqualified from driving for 16 months but given the opportunity to take a drink drive awareness course which if completed will reduce the ban by a quarter. Top divorce lawyer David Hannah was caught behind the wheel of his car after a wine-fuelled meeting with a client earlier this year The 72-year-old (pictured) was stopped by police as he was parking his luxury Bentley on the driveway of his £750,000 mansion and was found to be one and a half times the legal limitThe incident occurred on January 29 this year when Hannah, a past President of the Warrington Law Society and a founder member of the British Association of Lawyer Mediators, was reported to police after he was seen driving his blue 2011 vehicle erratically near the Stockton Heath area.Miss Diana Przemecka, prosecuting, said: 'A member of the public had made a report of a driver suspected of being intoxicated due to the manner of driving. 'Following the call received by police the details of the vehicle in question were passed to a patrol and a search was made in the last known area.'However, the officers could not locate the vehicle and therefore conducted checks and made their way to the defendant's home address.'Upon arrival at the home address the defendant is seen pulling up to his driveway on the main road and parking his vehicle at the top of the drive. 'The officers approached the defendant's vehicle and spoke with the defendant and saw him in the driver's seat with the keys in the ignition.'The defendant was asked to provide a sample of breaths for a preliminary test and he has complied with that request. 'The result was over the legal limit and he was therefore cautioned and arrested and transported to custody where a full evidential drink drive procedure was commenced. Warrington magistrates court, where Hannah admitted driving with excess alcohol and was fined £1,536, with £699 in costs and a victim surcharge'The defendant provided two evidential samples of breath the lower being 56mg and he was interviewed in relation to the matter and provided a full comment interview.'Mr Hannah stated that he came home from the office at 5.15pm as a client visited him at 6pm. When the client came around, they both had a can of bitter and shared a standard bottle of wine until it was empty. 'He left the home address around 7.30pm in his vehicle to collect his mobile phone from his office in Stockton Heath.'When he had collected it, he drove to Lymm Services when he went to McDonalds as he was hungry. He drove back home where he was then met by police.'He remembers doing a test on the machine in custody where he blew 56. Mr Hannah stated that it took approximately two to three minutes to drive from the home address to the office and five to ten minutes to drive from the office to Lymm Services.'He said he was alone in the vehicle at all times and admitted the offence. He said it was due to a total miscalculation on his part.'Hannah, who represented himself, was asked if he had anything to say and he replied: 'There is not really much I can add to that. I am guilty and I am sorry.'Sentencing JP Andrew Pope told him: 'We have taken into consideration you entered a prompt guilty plea and you are a man of previous good character. 'But you realise that you are going to be disqualified from driving today and that disqualification is with immediate effect.'You are not to drive a motor vehicle or an electric scooter on public roads or where the public have access to. If you do, that is a serious offence of driving while disqualified. We are happy that you do the course. 'Hannah qualified as a solicitor in 1975 and joined Steels in 1977, becoming a Partner in 1979. He is a Family Law Panel Assessor and Examiner and served on the Law Society's National Committee from 1998 until 2002.He has also written on legal topics for local newspapers and in a press interview he detailed a tongue-in-cheek 'bucket list' in which he said he would have a date with actress Kiera Knightley and score the winning goal for his favourite team Tottenham Hotspur in the European cup final.Other items on the list read: 'Definitely lose at least a stone. I would like to see my toes again. Having lost a stone, I would therefore be capable of getting in and out of a sports car and buy an Aston Martin. '
