Engineer sacked after he was caught drink-driving

A man lost his job after being caught behind the wheel while more than double the drink-drive limit, a court heard.
Wigan and Leigh Magistrates CourtWigan and Leigh Magistrates Court
Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court

Carlo Carta had 78mgs of alcohol in his system when he was pulled over by police in Leigh.

The 51-year-old, of Holden Road, Leigh, had been driving home from the pub when he was stopped by police concerned about aspects of his driving and was breathalysed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court, justices heard how Carta had lost his job as a gas engineer as a result of his impending conviction, after he pleaded guilty to one count of drink-driving.

The court heard how, on the evening of November 24, officers on patrol noticed a silver BMW driving along Leigh Road.

They followed the vehicle to Holden Road, before pulling over the driver, who was identified as Carta.

An officer spoke to him at the scene, and he provided a roadside breath test returned a sample of 88 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The legal limit is 35mgs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was arrested and taken to the police station, where he “co-operated fully” with proceedings according to the prosecution.

A second breath test at the station provided a reading of 78mgs.

Defending, Melissa Fagan told the court that Carta had returned home from work that evening, and had consumed a small amount of wine with his evening meal.

He then went to the pub, not intending to drink excessively.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He drank “two to three pints” according to Ms Fagan, before deciding to drive home.

It was a “silly mistake,” that Carta had never taken before and never will again, the bench was told.

Carta brought with him to court a character reference letter from his employer, in which they spoke of him in “glowing terms”.

But the praise was not enough to save his job.

Carta’s role required him to be constantly on the road, meaning he would lose his job following his conviction.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He now faces an uncertain Christmas with no income, and had doubts over how he would pay his mortgage, the court was told.

The bench disqualified Carta from driving for 20 months, although he has the option to reduce his ban by 20 weeks by undertaking a drink-drive awareness course.

He was also ordered to pay a total of £235 in fines and court costs.