A drink-driver caught “swerving” through Aberdeen city centre in the early hours of the morning had previously been caught drunk in charge of a car just one month before.
Pawel Czerwinski, 35, was more than double the legal limit when officers saw him driving “erratically” through the city on July 10 2020.
On June 19 he’d also been found by police in the passenger seat of his car while drunk – although he claimed he was only “listening to music”.
Police found him sitting in his car on Grampian Road and when they tried to arrest him he resisted, kicking and punching the two officers.
He also refused to comply with drink-driving test procedures at Kittybrewster Police Station.
Had been drink-driving weeks earlier
Three weeks later, he was caught drink-driving when officers saw his car “erratically swerving about” on South College Street at 2.20am.
Fiscal depute Kiral Bonavino told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “The accused was observed by police officers to be driving erratically and swerving about on a public road.
“His vehicle was eventually found at the accused’s home address and the test that was then carried out provided a positive reading as specified.”
The full-time porter was roughly double the limit, giving a reading of 158 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine, the legal limit being 67mg.
Czerwinski admitted a charge of drink-driving, another of failing to give a breath test but being in charge of a vehicle while unfit through drink, and two charges of police assault.
Had drug and alcohol issues
Defence agent Michael Horsman said his client was previously banned from the road for 21 months for driving dangerously and over the limit last December.
He also served time after he trashed his curfew equipment – put in place after he flooded a homeless unit – and was imprisoned between December 2021 and April 2022.
“At the time of the offences he had difficulties in his life,” the solicitor said. “He had had issues with misusing both drugs and alcohol at the time.
“He had a period as an inpatient at Royal Cornhill Hospital not long after this.”
Sheriff Lesley Johnston handed Czerwinski a community payback order comprising 12 months of supervision and 90 hours of unpaid work.
She also deemed him suitable for the drink-driver rehabilitation course which, if completed, would allow him to reduce his ban by 25%.
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