A man has been accused of driving a heavy goods vehicle whilst almost four times the limit, a court has heard.
The 42-year-old is alleged to have been detected by police at around 5pm in the afternoon on the M1 motorway.
Radoslaw Pawel Sola, with an address in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, appeared charged with driving with excess alcohol at Armagh Magistrates’, sitting at Lisburn, on Tuesday via videolink from police custody.
Defence barrister Conor Coulter informed the court that he did wish to make a bail application on the defendant’s behalf.
A constable, who connected Sola to the charge, stated this was opposed as this alleged offence saw a “very high reading” of 127mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath at 5pm, with the defendant driving an HGV.
He added that the defendant did have a relevant conviction in the Republic of Ireland.
District Judge Amanda Henderson remarked: “He was almost four times the drink drive limit and he is driving an HGV at five o’clock in the afternoon.”
After the matter was passed briefly for instructions, Mr Coulter stated that he wished for the application to be passed until July 29 as no Polish interpreter was available at present.
Adjourning the matter, District Judge Henderson said: “I have real concerns given the reading in an HGV at that time of the day”.
