A BORDON soldier has been found guilty of drink driving after causing a crash that left two passengers trapped in his car, one of which suffered a badly broken right leg. Daniel Johnson, 21, from Prince Philip Barracks on Budds Lane was driving his Renault along the B3004 on the evening of Friday, October 5, when the car left the carriageway, collided with a tree and slid down the embankment into Mill Chase Pond. Appearing at Aldershot Magistrates on last Thursday, Daniel Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge and was banned from driving for 12 months. Following the crash, Mr Johnson was able to get out of the car and call the emergency services, but his two passengers remained trapped in the vehicle. Firefighters worked in knee-deep water to free the male and female. Both the driver and the male passenger suffered minor injuries, while the female passenger, who was in the front seat, was taken to hospital. When police arrived at the scene, Mr Johnson provided a positive breath test. The court heard that Mr Johnson did not realise he was over the limit, and the amount of alcohol in his blood was on the lower end of the scale. The legal limit is 35mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, but police in Hampshire need a reading of 40mg before prosecuting, in order to allow for errors. Mr Johnson's reading showed as 43mg of alcohol. Mr Johnson is employed by the army as a vehicle mechanic and class three driver. The ban is likely to affect his career and will mean that he will not be promoted in the coming year. Defence lawyer Mr Beards said: "Mr Johnson has been in the army for two and a half years. "After the incident, he's volunteered to brief other young soldiers on the dangers of drink driving. His conscience tells him to do this, and to help others to think seriously before drink driving." A character witness for Mr Johnson, Captain Maclean, said: "He has had a steady start. This incident of bad judgement was out of character. He is a bright, enthusiastic soldier and is keen to rectify the situation." Mr Johnson was ordered to pay a fine of £145 and court costs of £70. He indicated that he would like to reduce his ban by taking part in the drink drivers rehabilitation course.
