Melksham drink-driver given 19-month ban after supermarket crash (From This Is Wiltshire)

Melksham drink-driver given 19-month ban after supermarket crash

12:30pm Monday 15th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(3)

A Melksham man has been banned from driving for 19 months after he crashed his car into a supermarket wall before abandoning it.

Paul Burgess, 28, of Church Street, admitted a charge of being unfit to drive through drink, failing to stop at an accident or report it, and not having insurance when he appeared at Chippenham Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

Prosecutor Keith Ballinger said that at 2.50am on June 25 last year, staff at Lidl supermarket, in Bath Road, called the police to say a car had crashed into a perimeter wall at the supermarket.

He said that Burgess had been driving his silver BMW after a fight with his girlfriend and after his wheel clipped a kerb and he hit the wall, he abandoned the car.

Mr Ballinger said: “Police found his wallet in the footwell of the car and then went to his home.

“Officers noted he appeared drunk and he was arrested.”

Burgess was taken to Melksham police station and took a breath test. The reading was 77mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

Burgess initially told police it was not him as he had lost his keys, suggesting someone must have found them and stolen the car, but he later changed his story and admitted he was the driver after blood found in the car was a match for his.

He said he lied to the police as he was ashamed of his behaviour, and he left the scene as he was in shock and not thinking straight.

Burgess was disqualified from driving for 19 months and given a fine of £165.

He was offered a chance to attend a drink drive rehabilitation course, which would reduce his disqualification period by 19 weeks.