Suspended sentence and drive ban for Skegness man nearly five times over drink limit

Pawel Tomasz Szynkler, 49, of Harrow Road, admitted to Boston magistrates driving with excess alcohol at Butterwick on Boxing Day.

Prosecuting, Marie Stace said police were told that a car was stationary in the middle of the road in Homers Lane and when they attended found Szynkler in his Peugeot 307, having hit a gate post.

She said he was obviously ‘very drunk’ and was unable to provide a breath test and was arrested.

She said that at the police station he was able to provide a sample which gave a reading of 151 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Ms Stace said Szynkler had a previous conviction for failing to provide a specimen of breath in 2012.

Mitigating, Philippa Chatterton said Szynkler had been off work on Christmas Day and had consumed a bottle of vodka and had then gone to bed.

She said he got up for work on Boxing Day at 5.20am but was suffering considerable pain from a stomach ulcer, so took painkillers before going to work.

However, he was sent home from work because he was ‘clearly unwell’ and on his way back, stopped and bought and drank another bottle of vodka, which he said was to deal with the pain from the ulcer.

“He realises he has placed himself in a very precarious position,” she told the magistrates.

The magistrates told him that only custody was suitable because of the seriousness of the offence, and ordered him to serve 26 weeks in prison, but suspended it for two years.

He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work for the community and 10 days of rehabilitation.

Szynkler was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay £200 in costs and charges.