Drink-driving NHS doctor, 45, who was caught five times over the limit during roadside breath test refused to give blood sample due to ‘needles phobia’
- Doctor Michael Farrell was pulled over after police suspected he was drunk
- He said his phobia of needles was a ‘reasonable excuse’ to refuse them a sample
- Farrell previously worked as an RAF medical officer in Iraq and Afghanistan
- The 45-year-old was warned he would lose his license if he didn’t comply with officers
Doctor Michael Farrell refused to provide police with a blood sample due to his ‘fear of needles’
An NHS doctor who was caught five times over the limit during a roadside breathalyser test refused to give a blood sample due to his phobia of needles.
Doctor Michael Farrell was stopped in his car by police after officers suspected he had been drink-driving.
The 45-year-old was then taken to police custody in Stockton-on-Tees where he refused to provide officers with a blood sample, claiming that a fear of needles was a ‘reasonable excuse’ to refuse them.
Teesside Magistrates’ Court was shown body camera footage of the GP in custody at 1.16am, minutes after his arrest in the early hours of January 6.
Farrell continuously refuses the sample and a police constable tells him he is not ‘thinking clearly’ and is ‘drunk’.
He then goes on to warn Farrell that he would lose his licence if he didn’t submit a sample.
However Farrell, a former RAF medical officer, then demands to have ‘legal representation’ in the room before officers advise him that the process cannot be delayed while a solicitor is called.
The clip shows the pair’s 15-minute dialogue in a police station medical room, as a health care professional looks on.
The officer says: ‘You’re heavily intoxicated. We’re going round in circles.’
Teesside Magistrates’ Court was shown body camera footage of the GP in custody at 1.16am, minutes after his arrest in the early hours of January 6
Farrell is then hauled to the custody desk, before claiming he has a ‘massive issue with needles.’
He adds: ‘I’m not refusing to provide a sample, I’m refusing to provide a blood sample because it involves pain.’
The exchange ends with the officer asking: ‘Are you willing now to provide a sample?’
Farrell replied: ‘Without legal representation, the answer is no.’
The officer tell Farrell that he has had his chance before telling a colleague that ‘there’s only so many chances you can give someone when they are drunk.’
Farrell (pictured above) said he was unwilling to provide a blood sample without having legal representation
He told his colleague a roadside breathe test reading of 127 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath – almost four times the UK drink driving limit.
Farrell’s solicitor, Michael Robinson, told the court: ‘He didn’t indicate he had refused, the police indicated he had refused.’
He said that ‘failures’ by the police and his client’s fear of needles would be used in his defence.
But he admitted: ‘The medical records don’t specifically indicate that the fear exists.’
The trial was adjourned by District Judge Tim Capstick to reconvene on May 14.
Farrell is currently a partner in a Stockton-based NHS practice and a ‘regional GP’ for Virgin Healthcare.
The court heard that he previously worked as an RAF medical officer, serving deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.