A LORRY driver who was caught drink driving twice in two months has been banned from getting behind the wheel for two years.
Simao Arujo, of Cheltenham Road, Evesham, was disqualified and ordered to pay £435 in fines, court costs and a victim surcharge after he pleaded guilty to two drink drive charges and driving with no insurance.
On September 5 officers travelling on Pershore Road in the town stopped the 48-year-old in a Renault Clio and when they approached the car could smell alcohol on his breath, Worcester Magistrates Court heard last Friday (November 21).
He was breathalysed but blew over the 35 microgramme legal limit so was taken back to the station, where he gave a blood sample of 103 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of blood, the legal limit for blood samples being 80.
Arujo, who moved to England from Portugal in April, was charged for the offence on October 30 but hadn’t appeared before court when he committed the second drink drive matter on November 11, the court was also told.
Police were alerted to a Ford Galaxy being driven down Worcester Road at 7.45pm as a member of public had contacted them to say it was ‘swerving from side to side’.
They followed the silver vehicle and pulled Arujo over. He was breathalysed again and blew 48 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath. Officers also found he didn’t have valid insurance to drive the car.
Arujo, defending himself, said: “I have no explanation.
“I will try to stay here (in England), but I don’t know if I can. I will try and find another job very quickly and pay my bills.”
He was fined a total of £330 for the three offences, £110 for each, and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £20 victim surcharge.
District Judge Nigel Cadbury said: “The unusual circumstances here are that I have to sentence you for two separate offences of excess alcohol.
“You are quite fortunate in the way in which the timing has taken place here and that is because if you had been dealt with for the first offence quickly and then went on to commit the second offence, the mandatory disqualification is three years.
“Being a lorry driver and somebody whose job relies on a driving licence this was an extremely irresponsible thing to do.”
