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05
May
Drink-driver slept in car at Pannal petrol station after realising he was ‘not as sober as he thought’
A man was still under the influence of alcohol when he drove home from a friend’s house after a night out, Harrogate Magistrates Court has heard.
Paulo Nazare, 29, appeared at the court on Thursday (April 30) when he admitted one offence of drink-driving.
Anthony Farrell, prosecuting, told the court police received a report of a suspected drink-driver at around 6am on April 12 this year.
Officers were called to the BP garage on the A61 Leeds Road in Pannal around that time and, when the arrived, the respective car had parked up in a bay.
The defendant appeared to be asleep in the car, the court heard, but was eventually woken up by police.
Nazare initially refused to provide officers with any details and said he had been sleeping but wasn’t planning to drive.
Mr Farrell said police asked Nazare to provide a roadside breath test, but after three warnings, he was arrested for failing to provide a specimen.
Nazare, of Moor Grange View in Leeds, was taken to Harrogate Police Station, where he recorded 62 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms.
Defendant stopped to buy a charger
Peter Minnikin, defending, told the court Nazare is a Portuguese national but has lived in the UK for two years.
The night before the offence, he went out drinking and stayed over at friend’s house.
He was travelling home the following morning, but with no battery on his phone, Nazare decided to stop at the BP garage to buy a charger.
However, Mr Minnikin said it was at the garage that Nazare “realised he was not as sober as he thought” and decided to park up to go sleep.
He added:
Mr Nazare was cooperative, but the police didn’t know English is not his first language. He then cooperated at the police station.
Nazare is of previous good character. He served in the Portuguese military before setting up two businesses: a property business and a car import-export company.
He still travels back to Portugal, Mr Minnikin said, but he’d like to settle permanently in the UK.
Nazare was banned from driving for 17 months, which would be reduced by 17 weeks if he completes a drink-drive awareness course.
He was also ordered to pay a total of £730 to the court, which comprises a £461 fine, a £184 surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.
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