A six-times-the-limit drink-driver who fled the scene of a head-on crash begged a witness not to call the police.
Marek Krolikowski, 54, crossed onto the wrong side of the road while taking a bend too fast on the B9094 Tarland to Aboyne road, near Balnagowan Farm, colliding with a car coming the opposite way.
While the stunned couple in the other car, a silver Renault Clio, were left showered in glass, Krolikowski’s red Ford Mondeo kept going and disappeared out of sight.
Fiscal depute Sean Ambrose told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened around 5.10pm on February 13 2016.
He said: “The witness was driving northbound with her partner in the front seat and approached a right-hand bend.
Accused said he’s had ‘a couple of drinks’
“Both she and her partner saw a red Ford Mondeo travelling towards them negotiating the bend. Both were of the opinion it was travelling in excess of the speed limit.
“Due to the speed, they saw it drift over the central road markings into the opposing carriageway.
“As a result, the witness had to brake hard, and swerve onto the verge but was unable to avoid it colliding with the off-side of her vehicle.”
There was a “loud crunch” and the couple were “showered in glass” as a window “imploded”.
The woman’s partner got out of the car and ran after the Ford, which had kept going, but could not get close enough to read the number plate.
Another driver passing the crashed Clio stopped to check the couple were okay and, on learning Krolikowski had driven off, went “to try to catch up”.
He followed the damaged vehicle into a car park on Huntly Mews, Aboyne, where Krolikowski lived at the time.
On being challenged by the man, Krolikowski said the accident was “his fault”, that he’d had “a couple of drinks” and asked him “not to inform the police”.
The man informed the police.
Officers traced Krolikowski at home at 5.40pm and, after failing a breath test, he was arrested.
‘He’d consumed a number of cans of lager and stupidly drove home’
Krolikowski, now of Coalshaw Green Road, Oldham, admitted careless driving, resulting in the woman being injured, and driving with 130 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes.
Defence agent Paul Barnett said his client had no previous conviction and had not been in trouble since the incident.
He said: “At the time, he was working at a factory near the locus and was struggling with depression and alcohol misuse.
“Prior to leaving work, he’d consumed a number of cans of lager and stupidly drove home while over the limit.”
Mr Barnett said Krolikowski had consumed more lager at home before police arrived, but accepted he would have been “well over the limit” regardless.
He added his client “very much regrets” the offences and “no longer drives”.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston fined Krolikowski, who was not present during the hearing, £1,125 and banned him from driving for 18 months.
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