Instagram blogger sentenced for drink driving and driving dangerously

A 23-year-old social media influencer and male model has been sentenced for drink driving and for driving dangerously.

The Crown Prosecution Service said that Matthew York drove at speeds of up to 100mph in the early hours of the morning of 20 December 2020 in Cheshire.

Mr York sells clothes online and has around 55,000 instagram followers and around 70,000 tik tok followers.

Police officers spotted him driving erratically around 1.40am in Chester city centre on the day of the offending and they put on the police patrol car blue light and siren and began a pursuit.

The pursuit continued to the Cheshire village of Sandiway over the course of about 15 minutes. Mr York only stopped his car when he was blocked in by two police patrol cars.

He was breathalysed and was over the limit. The test result was 46 mg of alcohol to 100 ml of breath.

Matthew York pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving dangerously at Chester Magistrates Court on 5 January 2021 and on 2 February 2021 at Chester Crown Court he was given a 12 month jail term, suspended for 18 months.

He must also do 180 hours of unpaid work, he is subject to a curfew from 7pm to 6am for 3 months, he has been disqualified from driving for 18 months and must do an extended retest when this period is over.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Daryl Pollard of CPS Mersey Cheshire said: “The speeds Matthew York drove at in this incident were very dangerous indeed. The fact that he had been drinking and was over the limit when he was driving in this way, really exacerbates the offending.

“He was pursued by the police for a considerable distance and only stopped when he was forced to.

“Matthew York is a popular figure amongst young people and could be considered to be a role model by some. His actions on this occasion fall far below what is expected by the law and he should be ashamed of himself.”