A MAN stopped by gardaí driving a motorbike in Bandon had no helmet or shoes on, and was subsequently charged with a drink driving offence, a court recently heard.
Arminas Sutkus (24) of 4 Casement Road, Bandon, pleaded guilty at Bandon District Court to a charge of drink driving.
Sgt Eimear O’Connell told Judge Treasa Kelly that on February 9th last Gda Darren Cahalane was on mobile patrol in Oliver Plunkett Street in Bandon when he saw the accused driving a motorbike down a one-way street.
‘He wasn’t wearing a helmet and Gda Cahalane followed him onto the Glaslinn Road where he also noticed he wasn’t wearing any shoes,’ said Sgt O’Connell.
‘When he stopped and spoke to him, he got a strong smell of alcohol from him. He failed a roadside breath test.’
Mr Sutkus was taken to Bandon Garda Station where a breath specimen taken there gave a reading of 58mcgs of alcohol per 100mls of breath.
He was charged with the offence and made no reply.
Defence solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client, who works in security and has no previous convictions, had a row with his father on that night and as a result of this left the home in a ‘dishevelled state without his shoes or helmet.’
‘He accepts he was wrong and apologises to the court,’ said Mr Taaffe.
Judge Kelly said it was a serious matter to be driving with that level of alcohol in his system.
‘You are lucky you didn’t cause an accident and injure others and this is totally unacceptable,’ said Judge Kelly, who disqualified him from driving for two years.
She also convicted him and fined him €300, with four months to pay the fine.
