Man collided with parked car on way to purchase more alcohol
A MOTORIST who collided with a parked car on Tullow Road in Carlow town was more than four times over the legal alcohol limit, having gone out in his son’s vehicle to buy more drink after starting on cognac earlier that afternoon, Carlow District Court heard. Andrei Dumbrava (44), 49 Burrin Manor, Tullow Road, Carlow pleaded guilty to charges of drink-driving, having no insurance and having no valid driving licence, arising from the incident.
The court heard that gardaí were on patrol on Tullow Road on 24 May at 8.30pm when they observed that a Ford Mondeo had collided with the side of a Kia Rio.
Gardaí spoke to the driver of the Mondeo and noticed his speech was slurred, that he was unsteady on his feet and that he had glassy eyes. A breath specimen test was administered to the driver, which he failed.
The defendant was cautioned and made admissions to having no insurance or a valid driving licence. A further sample of breath taken at the garda station returned a reading of 117mg of alcohol.
“That’s an extremely high reading,” Judge Geraldine Carthy remarked.
Solicitor Alex Rafter, defending, explained that his client had been driving his son’s car and had “started drinking that afternoon”.
When Judge Carthy queried why the reading was so high, Mr Dumbrava told his solicitor that he had consumed cognac before taking his son’s car to the shops for more alcohol.
“He has been very candid with the court,” Mr Rafter said, acknowledging that it was a serious matter.
“I could put this gentleman in custody. He could have killed somebody or himself, driving with that amount of alcohol in his system,” Judge Carthy said. “It’s a shocking level in his breath.”
In mitigation, Mr Rafter said his client was 44 years’ old, a Romanian national who had been living in Ireland for five years and had never previously been in trouble. He was working in construction, the court heard.
“It is by the sheer grace of God that no-one was harmed in that incident,” Mr Rafter added.
“Very little mitigation can be put before the court,” Judge Carthy said, agreeing that it was “just for the grace of God that he didn’t kill someone or injure himself”. She added that there was “no reasonable excuse or rhyme or reason” for drunk-driving.
The defendant, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for 18 months, on his own bond of €300, and was disqualified from driving for three years for the drink-driving offence. For having no insurance, he was fined €750 and disqualified from driving for two years. The charge of having no valid driving licence was taken into consideration.
