Drink-driver caught five times over limit with child in back seat
A drink-driver was caught behind the wheel while five times over the limit with a child in the back seat, a court heard.
Michal Orlowski, 39, was pulled over in Aberdeen after officers spotted his Citroen Picasso veering across the road and mounting the pavement on March 23.
When they approached the driver’s window they immediately smelled alcohol before noticing the youngster sitting behind him.
Orlowski was found to have 112 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit in Scotland is 22 micrograms.
The binman admitted driving a vehicle in a dangerous manner while under the influence of alcohol with a child as a passenger at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and was banned from the roads for six years.
He has two previous convictions for drink-driving, the court heard.
Defending, Paul Barnett said: ‘He understands the seriousness of the offences, particularly against the background of his record.’
Mr Barnett told the court Orlowski was the main breadwinner in the family.
He said: ‘No excuse is offered at all for the offences. By way of explanation he has had a long-standing problem with alcohol.
‘Also, at the time, he had been going through a particularly difficult period.’
Mr Barnett said Orlowski had been ‘seeking solace in the bottle’ and on the day of the offences had taken the ‘stupid’ decision to drive after his wife called and asked him to pick her up.
He added: ‘The incident has been sufficiently shocking to him to stop drinking.’
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Orlowski: ‘It’s a very worrying set of offences, particularly with your record.
‘I’m not going to impose a custodial sentence because I think it can be dealt with in the community.’
She also said she would not grant forfeiture of his car as it would penalise his family.
The sheriff handed him two years’ supervision on top of his road ban and a six-month curfew order.
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