Man found drunk on Christmas Day put off the road
A man appeared at Letterkenny District Court over an incident on Christmas Day and a separate road traffic matter
A man arrested when Gardai found him in a drunken state on Christmas Day has been banned from driving for three years.
Zbigniew Piskunowicz was before Letterkenny District Court in relation to offences in December, 2021 and February, 2022.
Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that, on February 13, 2022, Gardai observed a car 'swinging over and back' on De Valera Road having exited Simpson's supermarket.
When Gardai stopped the vehicle, Piskunowicz got out and stumbled on the road, Sergeant Collins said.
A subsequent test at Letterkenny Garda Station showed that Piskunowicz had 85 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Piskunowicz, a 69-year-old of Hazelbrook Crescent, also made admissions of having been involved in a collision of Simpson's supermarket. He was charged with leaving the scene, failing to give the appropriate information.
The court heard that Piskunowicz has no previous convictions.
Ms Donna Crampsie, solicitor for Piskunowicz, said her client is a retired tiler who has been living in Letterkenny for ten years.
“He has no understanding of the English language,” Ms Crampsie said. “He can't understand basic English.”
On the day Piskunowicz crashed into the parked car, Ms Crampsie said 'misjudge the space available'.
When approached by the driver of the other vehicle, Piskunowicz was unable to understand what was being said to him.
Ms Crampsie said: “The other person was animated, he got scared and drove off. He is deeply remorseful. He simply didn't understand what the person, who was very annoyed, was saying to him.”
On December 25, 2021, Gardai responded to a call at Hazelbrook Crescent at 4.15pm. On arrival, Gardai observed Piskunowicz highly intoxicated on the footpath. Sergeant Collins said Piskunowicz was arrested for his own safety.
A fixed charge penalty notice (FCPN) was issued but was not paid.
Ms Crampsie said: “Unfortunately, his wife asked him to leave the house and the Gardai got him a short distance away.”
For drink-driving, Piskunowicz was disqualified from driving. Judge Éiteáin Cunningham also fined him €200, giving six months to pay.
Piskunowicz was fined €150 for dangerous driving, while the other matters were taken into consideration by Judge Cunningham.