Drink-driver abandoned wife in car after hitting ditch

A DRINK-driver abandoned his car with his wife still in it after hitting a ditch and going into a field, Tullamore District Court heard.

A six-month sentence was imposed on Antanas Kazakevicius (57), Assumption Park, Roscrea, plus total fines of €750.

Mr Kazakevicius was jailed after pleading guilty to drink-driving, dangerous driving and driving without insurance at Dungar, Roscrea on April 11, 2023.

Judge Andrew Cody heard he committed the offences despite being banned from the road only five weeks earlier.

Sergeant Richard Thornton outlined that the man was driving towards Roscrea at 4.45pm and collided with a ditch.

He left the vehicle in a field and left the scene, leaving his wife in the car. He was later found to have an alcohol concentration of 231 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, a level Judge Cody remarked was “in the top bracket”.

Sergeant Thornton also outlined Mr Kazakevicius' previous convictions, telling the judge that on March 6 last year he was fined €500, banned from driving for six years, plus a six-month suspended sentence, for dangerous driving and drink-drink driving.

In addition, prior to that he had other six-year and three-year driving bans and a four-year ban for having no insurance. On one occasion he had failed to provide a specimen.

Defence counsel David Nugent, BL, said the accused was a married father of two who was unemployed because he had lost his job due to his alcohol addiction.

He knew he had a problem with alcohol and apologised for what he had done, said Mr Nugent.

He has sought help but without success and the addiction kept dragging him back in and he was asking the court to treat him with any leniency it could.

The barrister said Mr Kazakevicius' offending was not a disregard for the law but was because he was in the throes of an addiction.

Judge Cody said the matters before the court were serious and he noted in particular the man's third drink driving conviction at Tullamore District Court where he had been fined €1,000 and received a suspended sentence of six months.

“Within five weeks he was back out on the road again,” remarked the judge.

“Even worse he abandons his partner in the car after hitting a ditch, while clearly very drunk.”

Judge Cody said the message of the suspended sentence was not getting through.

For the drink-driving he fined the man €500, plus a six-month prison sentence and a 15-year ban from driving.

A fine of €250, with a concurrent six-month prison sentence and another 15-year disqualification, were imposed for dangerous driving.

A third concurrent six-month sentence and a third 15-year ban were imposed for having no insurance and the man was given six months to pay the fines.

When Mr Nugent asked Judge Cody to fix recognisances so the defendant could lodge an appeal, Judge Cody said that given the recidivist nature of the offending and the five-week period between conviction and reoffending, Mr Kazakevicius would be required to sign his own bond for €250 plus either cash or an independent surety of €2,500.

Asked if he would reduce the €2,500, Judge Cody said he would not, repeating that Mr Kazakevicius had previously received a suspended sentence.

In any event, added the judge, he was going to make an order remanding the man in custody for two weeks because of his breach of the terms of that suspended sentence.

He said Mr Kazakevicius could appear in court by video link after the first seven days, on Wednesday, March 6.

He certified for a Lithuanian interpreter to be present in court.