A MAN has been jailed for eight months and disqualified from driving for 15 years in what a judge described as one of the worst drink-driving cases he had ever seen.
Bogdan Michalkiawicz, a Polish national, Fairleigh House, Letterkenny, was found to be almost four times over the legal limit when stopped last December by Garda John F Munroe of Letterkenny Garda station.
Michalkiawicz was given bail by recognisance on December 20th and was bound to appear at Letterkenny District Court on January 18th, but failed to so.
Yesterday at Donegal District Court, legal aid was granted and solicitor James Corbett represented Michalkiawicz.
Mr Corbett said that perhaps his client had failed to appear in court due to a language problem.
Garda Munroe said Michalkiawicz had a number of previous convictions, including a disqualification from driving for 10 years at a sitting of Letterkenny court on July 20th last.
District Court Judge Kevin Kilrane said it was a case “of not so much how much alcohol he had in his blood but rather how much blood he had in his alcohol”.
He told the court that this was “one of the worst cases I have seen”.
Mr Corbett said his client had a medical problem. Judge Kilrane replied that this was not a reason for his client to anaesthetise himself with alcohol.
“There is only one way to cure him and that is to lock him up. I know it is tough but I see no other option,” the judge said.
Michalkiawicz was sentenced to four months and disqualified from driving for 15 years for drink-driving. He was also sentenced to four consecutive months and disqualified from driving for the same period for having no insurance.