A Polish man who pleaded guilty to drink driving after being found to be over the legal alcohol limit twice in four days was convicted, fined and disqualified at Ballina District Court this week.
Bartosz Grobelski, with a listed address at 38A Westlands, Westport, pleaded guilty to drink driving on July 27 this year in Swinford where a urine analysis showed 251mg of alcohol per 100ml of urine, and on July 31 this year when he was arrested in Westport — his urine analysis on that occasion was 119m of alcohol per 100m of urine.
On October 3 the defendant was also arrested on the suspicion of drink driving in Kilsallagh, Louisburgh following a single vehicle collision. Grobelski refused to give a sample. While being detained in the cell, the defendant also caused criminal damage by tearing the mattress cover from the bed.
Solicitor for the defendant, Alan Gannon, said that Grobelski had consumed four drinks the night that he was first detected and had drank two beers on the second incidence. As for the criminal damage, the defendant did not understand why he was arrested and took into a “fit of anger.”
For the charge realting to July 27 Judge Mary Devins convicted and fined the defendant €600 and disqualified him for three years; for July 31 Grobelski was convicted and fined €800, disqualified for two years concurrent and sentenced to prison for three months, with this sentence being suspended for six months. The failure to give a sample was withdrawn by the prosecution, and for the criminal damage the defendant was convicted and fined €500 and ordered to give €300 by way of compensation for the mattress.
