Sharp-eyed CCTV operator caught suspected drink driver getting into his car and driving in Harborough

Keith Goodwin, 54, was spotted by sharp-eyed CCTV operators in the town.

As well as being banned from the wheel Goodwin was also handed a 12-month community order.

He refused to provide a specimen after being arrested on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol.

Goodwin was detained in Harborough in the early hours of June 26, Leicester magistrates’ court heard.

He refused to co-operate with officers both at the scene and at the police station.

So Goodwin was charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

He initially denied the charge but admitted it at a later court hearing.

Goodwin, of Berry Close, Great Bowden, was also ordered to pay £150 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

His driving ban will be cut by 20 weeks if he satisfactorily completes a driving course.

A CCTV team raised the alarm after they spotted Goodwin walking along Abbey Street and jumping into the driver’s seat of a car.

Operators feared he was under the influence of alcohol and alerted local officers PC John Jephcott and PC Paul Farrar.

The officers quickly found Goodwin’s car and stopped him in the area of Bowden Lane.

Goodwin refused to get out of the vehicle.

So the police smashed a window to turn off the engine before removing the suspect from the motor.

After the court case, PC Jephcott said: “By CCTV operators and officers working together, we were able to quickly detain Goodwin and believe that by doing this, we stopped him from putting both himself and others in danger.

“We are continually working to keep our roads safe and will act on anyone who we believe is not driving in a safe and careful manner.”

He added: “Failing to cooperate with us when we do act in this way is a criminal offence and a prosecution will be made as this case has shown.”