By Terri-ann Williams For Mailonline
Published: 09:17 BST, 10 April 2019 | Updated: 09:18 BST, 10 April 2019
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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
