Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver blames birthday chocolate liqueurs for smelling of drink

23/10/2009

A taxi driver found slumped in his cab, smelling of drink and slurring told police he had eaten too many "birthday chocolate liqueurs".

Dariusz Lech, 37, was seen "swerving from right to left" and without lights as he drove through Newcastle last month, the city's magistrates heard.

Lech, of Newcastle, refused a breath test and claimed he had not been drinking but had taken strong painkillers. He was banned from driving for 12 months and has lost his job.

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

By not taking the test he might have saved himself a longer ban, cos if his reading had been high it could have been 3 years or even prison.

_________________
IDFIMH

Drunk’ driver says he only ate liqueur chocs


Source: Evening Chronicle

A TAXI driver who went on a suspected boozed-up drive claimed he had only eaten chocolate liqueurs when police found him slumped at the wheel.

Out of control Dariusz Lech was spotted breaking the speed limit, driving without headlights on, breaking heavily, and swerving down Newbridge Street, Newcastle.

Cars travelling in the opposite direction tried to avoid the Blueline cabbie and flashed their lights in a bid to alert other road users, Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard.

Robert Cain, who works for the same taxi company, first clocked Lech driving his silver Ford Mondeo Estate cab when he noticed he was travelling with no lights on.

Flashes from other vehicles prompted the 37-year-old to turn them on but he continued to drive at speed along the 30mph stretch of road until he slammed on his breaks at some red lights. Swerving across the road as he drove up towards Shields Road, Byker, Lech then pulled in at Snax 24-hour petrol station and Mr Cain reported the incident to the police.

When police arrived at the garage, they found Lech slumped in the front seat, smelling of alcohol and slurring. He was arrested and taken to Etal Lane Police Station but refused to do a breath test.

Lech, of Banbury Road, Fawdon, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis, although he claimed he had only been eating alcoholic chocolates and hadn’t been drinking.

Edith Sanderson, prosecuting, said: “At around 10.05pm, on September 18, 2009, Robert Cain, who works for the taxi firm Blueline, was driving down Newbridge Street when his attention was drawn go a silver, Ford Mondeo Estate taxi.

“It was travelling in the same direction but appeared to have no headlights on. Vehicles travelling in the opposite direction were flashing their lights to alert the driver and he then turned them on. The vehicle continued to travel at speed until it came to the junction with Crawhall Road. A red light was displayed and it braked heavily. When the green light showed, it moved away quickly.

“The taxi was swerving from left to right and other vehicles were flashing their lights to warn of its presence.”

In a letter, read out in court by a probation officer, Lech claimed he hadn’t been drinking but had taken strong painkillers and then eaten some chocolate liqueurs.

He wrote: “I can’t defend myself. I shouldn’t have done it.

“I hadn’t drank any liquor. I’d taken some painkillers. In my car, I then ate some of my birthday chocolate liqueurs. I started to feel unfit to drive and drunk, so I pulled over.”

Chairing magistrate Peter Arnold banned Lech from driving for 12 months and sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 40 hours’ unpaid work.

A spokesperson for Blueline Taxis confirmed he had been dismissed.

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I wonder if he had a Berwick plate

Aye, he sounds like a Berwick resident with a name like that !!!