Drunk motorist crashed on A14 while banned from driving

Police were called to a single vehicle collision on the A14 off-slip road at Claydon during the evening of October 6, 2019, magistrates in Ipswich heard on Tuesday.

After arriving at the scene, officers found a Ford Fusion on its side and Paul Gal, 45, as the only person in the car.

At 11.05pm, Gal was breathalysed at the roadside and tested positive for excess alcohol, the court heard.

Gal was then taken to hospital to be assessed but had suffered no serious injuries so was transferred to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre, David Bryant, prosecuting, told the court.

A sample of his blood was taken at the police station and following analysis, Gal was found to have 89 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

The legal limit is 80mg in 100ml of blood.

In police interview, Gal answered no comment to any questions, Mr Bryant said.

The court heard that Gal has two previous convictions for drink-driving in 2016 and 2017.

He was also driving while disqualified in the 2017 incident, Mr Bryant said.

Gal’s current disqualification from driving expires in 2021, the court heard.

Appearing at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court, Gal, of Gainsborough Avenue, Diss, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, driving with alcohol level above the legal limit, and driving without insurance.

Malcolm Plummer, defending, said Gal was making a journey to Stowmarket when the accident happened after having issues with the heating at his home.

“His boiler had broken down and he had a found a plumber to mend it,” Mr Plummer told magistrates.

“But the plumber did not drive so he was on his way to Stowmarket to pick him up.”

Magistrates ordered an all options pre-sentence report from the Probation Service to be prepared.

Gal will next appear at Suffolk Magistrates’ for sentence on October 5.

Magistrates granted Gal unconditional bail ahead of his sentencing hearing but warned him not to get behind the wheel of any vehicle.