Drink drive doctor facing jail

A doctor and former president of Bilston Rotary Club was today facing jail after being caught driving while almost three-and-a-half times the legal drink limit.

Dr Raj Sharma, of Springhill Lane, Lower Penn, was so drunk his speech was slurred and he failed to notice he was being followed by police, magistrates were told.

The 54-year-old, whose practice is Wolverhampton Homeopathy Clinic in Penn Road, was caught in the city on October 31. He also used to run Miltara Lodge Home in Birmingham New Road but left 18 months ago.

He pleaded guilty today to driving with excess alcohol after claiming his Coke had been spiked. He was found to have 121mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

Mr Perry Close, chair of the bench, told him: "It was an extremely high reading and the starting point for this type of offence is usually custody. Your speech was slurred and you didn't even spot the police who were driving behind you.

"You said you had a Coke which you feel may have been spiked but there is no evidence of that. This could have caused serious injury or death. We have to order an interim driving ban until sentencing next week."

Sharma will learn his fate on Thursday. Magistrates said they were not ruling out custody.

Sharma was president of Bilston Rotary Club in 2001.

Club secretary Ken Dolman said this afternoon: "It is very sad he has found himself in this position."