Wine merchant caught drink driving (From The Advertiser Series)
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Wine merchant caught drink driving
11:44am Friday 1st February 2013 in News
A WINE merchant has vowed to cut down on his drinking after being caught driving at nearly three times the legal alcohol limit.
Thomas Lilico, 32, of Craig Street, Darlington, had 100mg of alcohol in his breath when he was stopped near his home by officers at 10.45pm on January 10.
He pleaded guilty to drink driving at Darlington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (January 31) and said the incident had made him address how much alcohol he drank.
“Since this incident I have barely drank,” said Lilico, “It has been an unfortunate turn of events that I am truly sorry for.
“I am trying to change my life; it has been a shock to the system.”
Brenda Robertson of the probation service told the court that Lilico was a former manager of an Oddbins alcohol store and now worked in a wine merchants with a bar attached to it.
She described the drink-drive conviction as “a wake-up call”.
District Judge Adrian Lower sentenced him to a six-month community order with 80 hours unpaid work.
He also banned Lilico from driving for 24 months and ordered him to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
