A drink-driver called the police after drinking five pints and crashing into a lamppost. Robert Heath, 37, had just picked up a McDonald's meal when "a momentary lapse in concentration" saw him collide with the post at Palm Court Island in Derby
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how the dad-of-two called the police to tell them exactly what he had done, that he would be over the legal limit and that he would remain at the scene until they arrived. It was the end of a bad day for Heath, the court heard, DerbyshireLive reports.
The hearing told how Heath had walked to a party and then, after getting home from it, decided to get behind the wheel of his Skoda Octavia and drive to the fast-food restaurant at Markeaton roundabout. It was after collected his food that he collided with a lamppost.
Mark Croft, his solicitor, said: "I have been doing this job for a long time and I don't think I have ever come across a client who was as compliant as he was. The first thing he does is call the police, tells them his location, the registration number, and even tells them he's been drinking and that he will be over the drink-drive limit.
"He is so compliant that on the way to the police station that the police officer does not even need to put handcuffs on him. He is not the sort of person the police normally deal with. This incident is the culmination of a bad 24 hours for Mr Heath.
"The day before he had a reconciliation meeting with his wife with whom he has two children, he is very keen for a reconciliation. On the night he walked to a party from Duffield then did something which was stupid and out of character in that he decided he wanted a McDonald's, got in his car and drove to the nearest one at Markeaton Island.
"On his way back, due to a momentary lack of concentration he lost control and hit the lamppost."
Nicole Baughan, prosecuting, said police were called to Palm Court Island by a call from the defendant at around 1.15am on September 26, this year. She said he had crashed his car into a lamppost and said he told the call handler he'd drank around five pints and would be over the drink-drive limit.
He failed a roadside test and was taken to the police station where an evidential test on an intoxiliser saw him blow 71 (micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35). He was interviewed, was fully compliant and told them he'd made a stupid mistake to drive to McDonald's."
Heath, of Appletree Court, has no previous convictions of any kind and pleaded guilty to drink-driving. Magistrate Margaret Tate, chair of the bench, disqualified him from driving for 18 months. She also fined him £692, ordered him to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £277 victim surcharge.
The magistrate said: "Until this incident you have behaved in an exemplary way, we hope this is a one-off."
