An 81-year-old man has become Britain’s oldest known drug driver after being caught behind the wheel following his birthday celebration with cocaine in his system.
Arthur Ball, who relies on two walking sticks, hearing aids and has had a carer for over a decade, was pulled over by police just after midnight on June 2nd, six days after his birthday. Officers found he was driving with three times the legal amount of a cocaine metabolite in his blood.
“He had not been drinking. He believed that what he had drunk had been contaminated by cocaine. He does not use cocaine,” said his solicitor, Mark Lever.
The elderly man insisted that someone must have slipped a wrap of cocaine into his lemonade during the party.
The ball was stopped on Marsh Street in Warrington, where officers initially asked for a roadside breath test, which came back zero. However, a roadside drug wipe tested positive, leading to his arrest.
Back at the station, a blood test revealed 162 micrograms of benzoylecgonine (BZE) — a cocaine breakdown product per litre of blood. The legal limit is just 50 micrograms.
Despite his age and physical condition, including needing assistance for daily life, Ball admitted guilt at Warrington Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £120, handed a 12-month driving ban, and must also pay £85 in costs and a £48 victim surcharge.
Presiding magistrate Andrew Pope said: “Anybody found guilty or who pleads guilty to driving when they have got drugs in their system all get disqualified. It’s the law.”
The incident has raised eyebrows, not least because Ball’s Motability-provided Toyota Yaris had a police marker on it — flagged for suspected involvement in drug-related activity. Yet, the pensioner maintains he is not involved in any such dealings.
“Strangely, police have a marker on his car for a drug dealer. He is not a drug dealer. How it got there, goodness knows,” added Lever. It’s now expected that his carer will take over driving duties.
UK Drug-Driving Stats: Not Just a Young Person’s Offence
- 124 deaths were recorded in 2023 involving drug-impaired drivers.
- While drivers in their late 20s are most often disqualified (age 25 being the most common), the issue extends far beyond that age group.
- 78 over-60s were prosecuted in a single year.
- Before Ball’s case, the oldest known offender was a 74-year-old woman.
Despite his bizarre defence and minimal driving impairment, Ball is off the roads for at least a year. While drug-driving is typically associated with the younger crowd, this unusual case proves age is no exemption from the law or surprise drug tests.
