A pensioner and former taxi driver has been fined and banned from driving after being found over the alcohol limit — wearing only his boxer shorts — in an Aldi car park in Barrow.
The bizarre incident unfolded on the evening of 23 August at the Aldi car park on Risedale Road, where members of the public noticed Geoffrey Thomas Albery, 69, sitting in his Volkswagen Passat, which appeared “parked funny” with a flat tyre.
A woman with her children, unaware of the situation, reportedly entered the vehicle for a fare but immediately ran off after spotting Albery “sat behind the driver’s seat wearing only his boxer shorts.”
Prosecutor Lee Dacre told the court that a witness intervened and removed the keys from Albery’s vehicle to stop him from driving away.
A roadside breath test revealed 94 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly three times the legal limit of 35. A later test in police custody still showed a high reading of 86 micrograms.
Defence solicitor Karem Templeton said Albery was deeply remorseful, explaining that he had been watching football and drinking at home before falling asleep. “When he woke up, he was disorientated and thought it was the following morning when in fact it was 7:20pm that evening,” she told magistrates.
The court heard that Albery had since lost his job as a taxi driver and surrendered his private hire licence to the council.
Magistrates fined him £211, ordered him to pay £84 in victim surcharge and £85 in court costs, and imposed a 22-month driving disqualification — which could be reduced by 22 weeks upon completion of a drink-driving rehabilitation course.
Source: Express
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