Man fined £185 for being drunk in charge of horse

A man was fined £185 for being drunk in charge of a horse after riding the animal bareback through the streets. Godfrey Blacklin, 31, was spotted by police riding along the streets of Walker, in Newcastle. He was asked him to dismount and they arrested him.

At Newcastle Magistrates, Blacklin pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of a horse. Newcastle magistrates heard that officers found Blacklin slurring his words and was unsteady on his feet.

The large cob, called Bart, was held by a police officer for more than an hour near Wellbeck Road while Blacklin was taken to a police station.



CPS David Thompson said: "It is not a charge you see every day. The police had concerns about him and, in the process of speaking to him, became aware of his intoxication.

"The concerns were that he was in control of a large animal where there were other road users. There are no definite parameters for this offence, but it is clear that he was drunk."

After the case, Blacklin, of Raby Street, Byker, Newcastle, said: "It is ridiculous. No one seems to have heard about a case like this. I had been at my nana's before I went over to the stables, and I had only had a couple of cans. Bart needed some exercise, so I took him out and let him have a loose rein, so it looked like I wasn't in control."