A PARTY-GOER took MDMA and ketamine thinking he was using cannabis and cocaine, a court has heard.

Jacob Caplan pleaded guilty to three counts of drug driving when he appeared before magistrates.

Police had been on patrol on the B4347 in Bacton, Herefordshire, when they spotted a Vauxhall Combo van being driven at around 3.30pm on April 4, prosecutor Shafquat Reaz said.

They pulled it over and asked Caplan, who was the driver, to undertake a roadside drug test, which returned a positive result for cocaine.

Caplan was arrested and taken to Hereford police station, where a blood test revealed he had 44 microgrammes of ketamine, 74 microgrammes of MDMA, and 117 microgrammes of cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine per litre of blood. The respective legal limits are 20, 10, and 50 microgrammes.

Chris Read, for Caplan, said the 25-year-old had been at a rave at a farm in Herefordshire that weekend.

"He and his friends were attending that and for the first time in a year were able to get out, listen to some music, and take advantage of that situation," Mr Read said.

"He thought he had used cocaine and cannabis and was surprised when the drug results came back.

"There was no trace of cannabis in the sample, which he was surprised about, but it appears that other drugs were being sold under those headings. He says he would not have taken ketamine or MDMA.

"He had waited some time before driving home and the only reason police stopped him was that his van appeared on their computer as a vehicle from Wiltshire and they were curious as to what it was doing driving around Herefordshire on a Sunday afternoon. There was no suggestion that his driving was impaired.

Caplan, of Wylye Road, Warminster, was disqualified from driving for 18 months and fined £401. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £40 victim surcharge.

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