Medication blamed for car calamity

An injured builder appeared to be sleepwalking when he got into a car and smashed into four vehicles on Gorleston's seafront a court heard yesterday.

Gary Gunstone took so much medication for his bad back that he could not even remember climbing into a Micra, driving down to the Ocean Room and hitting three cars and a moped.

The drug-induced mayhem on the afternoon of November 4 last year caused more than £3,000 of damage and a Sym moped and Kia Sportage had to be written off.

Yesterday Gunstone, 43, of Church Lane, Gorleston, was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and banned from driving for six months after he admitted driving without due care and attention and failing to stop and report an accident.

Yarmouth Magistrates' Court heard that after Gunstone took some strong medication for back pain, he was seen by his mother getting into the Micra in a trance-like state.

Representing himself, Gunstone told the bench that his mother said it looked like he was “sleepwalking like a child again”.

He added: “My mother tried to stop me. From there I do not remember anything until later that afternoon.”

Rachel Balfour, prosecuting, said Gunstone drove to the Ocean Room on Pier Gardens and at about 2.45pm he was seen striking the four vehicles.

As well as the scooter and Kia being beyond repair, a Mondeo suffered damage to the passenger side and a Corsa's rear light was smashed.

In a police interview, he admitted he was driving but did not recall anything from the incident due to the medication he was taking at the time.

The first Gunstone knew of any problems was later in the day when his father told him he had damaged their garage with the Micra.

Magistrates heard he had a clean driving licence.

Chairman of the bench Elaine Weymouth said: “You caused a great harm to other road users. You were lucky that there were no other people on the road that were hurt.”