A construction worker from Brighton was given a suspended prison sentence after he was caught drink driving with more than three times as much alcohol in his breath as the law allows.
Vasile Duca, 39, of London Road, Brighton, was arrested in Rectory Road, Worthing, on Monday 8 December.
Duca had been driving a yellow Ford Transit and was found to have 120 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.
At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 6 January, he was jailed for 12 weeks – suspended for 12 months – and ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.
Duca was also banned from driving for 36 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
He was one of 279 people to have been arrested during the annual drink and drug driving crackdown by Sussex Police. The operation ran from Monday 1 December to Thursday 1 January.
Of those arrested, 17 have been convicted so far and a further 80 charged.
Others who have appeared before the courts include Chris Monson, 65, who is retired, of Church Mead, Hassocks.
Monson was arrested in Keymer Road, Hassocks, on Thursday 11 December and charged with driving with 58 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
At Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 7 January, he was banned from driving for 16 months, fined £276 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £110 victim surcharge.
Duncan Wagmore, 64, an air conditioning engineer, of Longhurst Drive, Billingshurst, was arrested in High Street, Billingshurst, on Wednesday 17 December and charged with driving with 89 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
At Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Monday 5 January, he was banned from driving for 20 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 victim surcharge.
Patrycja Perzynska, 42, a factory worker, of Ash Close, Littlehampton, was arrested in Ash Close, Littlehampton, on Sunday 7 December, and charged with driving with 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath and driving while uninsured.
At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 6 January, she was banned from driving for 17 months, fined £230 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £92 victim surcharge.
Tony Radley, 42, a handyman, of no fixed address, was arrested in Pearson Road, Crawley, on Saturday 13 December, and charged with driving with 80 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath and driving with no licence.
At Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 7 January, he was banned from driving for 20 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 victim surcharge.
