A three-time drink-driver had a child in the back seat when he was pulled after being spotted driving erratically in Aberdeen.
Shocked police officers spotted binman Michal Orlowski swerving across Wellington Road and mounting a kerb and decided to pursue him.
When his Citroen Picasso was stopped they discovered he smelled strongly of alcohol and had a child in the car.
Appearing in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, he admitted the offences and has been handed a six-year driving ban.
Orlowski appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.The 39-year-old, previously pled guilty to driving with 112 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath on March 23. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes. He also admitted driving a vehicle in a dangerous manner while under the influence of alcohol with a child as a passenger.
Orlowski has two previous drink driving convictions from 2010 and 2016.
‘No excuse is offered for offences’
His defence solicitor Paul Barnett said: “He understands the seriousness of the offences, particularly against the background of his record.”
Mr Barnett said his client worked full-time as a refuse collector and was the main breadwinner in the family.
He added: “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 went on to say: “The incident has been sufficiently shocking to him to stop drinking.”
‘A very worrying set of offences’
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Orlowski, whose address was given in court papers as Balnagask Terrace, Aberdeen: “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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