Hertfordshire driver caught drinking beer from a pint glass by Brentwood officers
The man said he'd only had 'a sip' but blew 60% over the legal limit
A driver who was caught by officers in Brentwood drinking a pint of Stella behind the wheel has been banned from driving.
On the evening of Sunday 22 December last year, officers in Hutton Road pulled up alongside Andre Ali-Baba's car, and watched as he took a sip of beer from a distinctive Stella Artois pint glass.
Officers challenged the man, who told them he had only consumed “a sip” of beer.
He proceeded to fail a roadside breath test, blowing 60% over the legal limit.
Watch the moment the 25-year-old was arrested:
Ali-Baba, of Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire, was later charged with drink driving.
Appearing at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 20 February, he was banned from driving for 14 months and ordered to pay £256 in fines and court costs.
Adam Pipe, head of the Roads Policing Unit, said:
“Driving under the influence means motorists take risks every time they get behind the wheel of a car.
They put the lives of themselves and others at risk.
It might seem an obvious point to make, but cases such as this prove the extent of the challenge we face in getting this simple message to cut through.
Drink and drug driving ruins the lives of individuals and communities and it is completely avoidable.
We continue to do all we can to tackle drink driving, but we’d ask the public to support us.
If you know of, or suspect someone of drink or drug driving, let us know.
We’ll use that information to direct our patrols to identified ‘hotspots’, to catch offenders and take them off our roads.”