A wealthy businessman, Steve Wynne, managed to avoid jail despite driving his Bentley while being eight times over the drug-drive limit. He attributed his actions to his new wife leaving him a mere 24 hours after their wedding, along with £200,000.
Steve Wynne, a 50-year-old father, had been using cocaine before he was stopped by the police while driving his black 198mph Continental GT, which was swerving across white lines in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, a village known for its affluent residents.
At the roadside the flamboyant tycoon appeared ‘sallow and grey’, a court heard.
A snap bag containing traces of white powder was found in his pocket.
Tests found Wynne had 67 micrograms of cocaine and 400 micrograms of benzoylecgonine (BZE) – the breakdown product of cocaine – per litre of blood.
The legal limits are ten and 50 micrograms respectively.
At the time of the incident, Wynne was operating a successful kitchen design business and resided in a luxurious five-bedroom £1.1m detached house located in the upscale town of Wilmslow, part of the elite ‘Cheshire set’ community.
But he told police he had suffered a severe nervous breakdown after being ‘conned’ by the bride whom he met had online.
Father-of-one Steve Wynne (pictureD), 50, had been snorting cocaine before police stopped him
His black 198mph Continental GT was veering across white lines in the millionaire village of Alderley Edge, Cheshire. (File image)
Tests found Wynne had 67 micrograms of cocaine and 400 micrograms of benzoylecgonine (BZE) – the breakdown product of cocaine – per litre of blood
He alleged he had helped her set up a beauty salon business and loaned her £200,000 – but just 24 hours after their wedding she disappeared with the cash, he claimed.
At Crewe magistrates court Wynne – who now lives in a rented semi-detached house – pleaded guilty to two charges of drug driving.
He was fined £162, ordered to pay a surcharge of £65 and banned from driving for 12 months.
The bride’s name was not given in court.
His firm Wilmslow Kitchen Interiors later closed with Wynne citing ‘personal reasons’ on Facebook.
The failed drug test came after he was stopped on June 5, 2023.
Police described his speech as ‘slurred and broken’, prosecutor Olivia Randell told the hearing, and he was arrested.
The court Wynne had six unrelated previous offences on his record.
Defence solicitor Lesley Herman said in mitigation: ‘This is a rather sad tale really. The defendant was a successful businessman.
‘He had two shops, he sold kitchens and he employed more than nine people.
‘He was very successful and purchased a Bentley.
Police described his speech as ‘slurred and broken’, prosecutor Olivia Randell told the hearing, and he was arrested
Wynne – said in court to be suffering mental health problems – maintains his driving that day was ‘impaired by his mood rather than anything else’. (File image)
‘He then met a lady online who he then got married to – but that marriage lasted a day.
‘He realised that he had been conned, which is perhaps the right word, out of a large amount of money.
‘She has disappeared with the money and that has coincided with him having a breakdown.
‘He has lost his businesses. He has lost everything.’
Wynne – said in court to be suffering mental health problems – maintains his driving that day was ‘impaired by his mood rather than anything else’, she added.
He had found the bag with traces of cocaine in his shop and was planning to confront the person he suspected it belonged to ‘as he has never been a person who takes drugs’, Ms Herman said.
The court heard Wynne is now receiving universal credit but his benefits are not sufficient to cover rent on his new home in Handforth.
In sentencing, JP Dr John Bache told him: ‘We understand the situation that you are in which is obviously very difficult.’
