A driver who smashed into the front of the shop when he was more than three times the drink drive limit has been banned for 28 months. Sukhdev Mehmi crashed into the front of Best Price Bathrooms in Belgrave Gate at 5.08am while a member of staff was in the back room.
A passenger in the car ran off but the shop worker, who was not injured, stayed with Mehmi until police arrived and arrested him for drinking and driving.
The police arrived at the crash site to find Mehmi’s Vauxhall Astra embedded in the shop front. Ms Yeak told the court that Mehmi had been banned for 20 months for drink-driving in 2005. Mehmi, pleaded guilty to driving while over the drink-driving limit on July 29.
The limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, Mehmi gave a reading of 118.Kevin McGrath, defending, said his client had a drink problem and was addressing it with the help of his family and the substance misuse specialists at Turning Point. He said that Mehmi, who is married with a young child, went back to the shop a few days later to apologise to the shopkeeper.
Chair of the bench, Mrs Angela Sharpe, disqualified Mehmi from driving. She ordered him to do 120 hours of unpaid work and to pay £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge.
