Polish '˜mentor' drove drunk without headlights in Mansfield

A man who mentors new arrivals from Poland was caught driving more than three times over the legal limit in Mansfield, a court has heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

Piotr Wlodzimierz Jedrzejewksi-Smith, 55, of Houfton Road, Mansfield, admitted the offence on Wednesday.

Magistrates heard he was stopped by police because he had been driving slowly and without headlights on Bath Lane, at around 10pm on May 6.

A breath test revealed he had 125 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

The court heard that Jedrzejewksi-Smith, who works as a security guard, had been under pressure because his mother in Warsaw has been diagnosed with cancer and his sister-in-law recently died in a car crash.

He was driving his wife to work when he was stopped.

The court heard he acts as a mentor to Polish people who are new to the area and he described himself as ‘quite an important figure in the Polish community.’

He said: “I didn’t realise how much I had consumed. I have always been a very conscientious driver where the consumption of alcohol is involved.

“I have disappointed many people. This is a tough lesson. I am very sorry.”

Chairman Richard Eaton said: “You placed yourself and other road users in extreme danger.

“You were driving without lights and didn’t appear to have reacted to other drivers trying to warn you of that.”

Jedrzejewksi-Smith was banned for 36 months and given a 12-month community order.

He must carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £85.

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