A Brighton pensioner who was caught driving four times over the drink drive limit – while already banned from driving – has been spared jail.
John Sullivan, 67, was attempting to park near his home in Liphook Close, Moulsecoomb, just before 10am on February 1, but ended up smashing into two parked vehicles and a bollard.
He was arrested and taken into custody, but was considered too drunk to be dealt with and taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital where a blood sample was taken about two hours later. The result of this was 303mg of alcohol to 100ml of blood – the legal limit is 80.
Inspector James Biggs, head of Brighton and Hove’s Road Policing Unit, said: “This is inexcusable. This man has shown complete contempt for the laws of the land and for the safety of other road users. Despite high profile campaigns by the Force and our partners in the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, there are those who still consider it acceptable to drive under the influence of alcohol and the results can be devastating.”
On Friday, Brighton Magistrates heard that he had failed to take an extended driving test after a previous disqualification and was driving with no insurance. He was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, for driving with excess alcohol and disqualified for four years and until extended test is passed.
He also has a curfew requirement from 8pm to 6am daily until July 2011 and will be electronically tagged for eight weeks.
For driving while disqualified and for driving without insurance, his licence was endorsed.
Insp Biggs added: “Offenders will be positively dealt with and we welcome the sentence that the magistrates have handed down in this case.”
