Drink driver caught three times in three years

A convicted drink driver who was caught again seven months after being disqualified has been sentenced.

In the early hours of Saturday morning (13 July), response officers who were on patrol in the Fengate area of Peterborough noticed a silver Vauxhall Astra driving down Potters Way.

Due to it being 4am and known issues of anti-social behaviour in the area, the officers stopped the car to speak with the driver. When asked where he was going, the driver, Piotr Wozniak, 43, told officers he was going to show his teenage son the fish in the river.

Checks on the Police National Computer (PNC) found that Wozniak had been disqualified from driving for three years in October last year following a drink driving conviction, leading to his car being seized.

Wozniak, of Clarence Road, Millfield, admitted to officers that he had been drinking and completed a routine roadside breath test, which gave a reading of 77 – more than two times the legal limit of 35.

He was charged with driving while disqualified and drink driving after he gave an evidential reading of 66 in custody, and appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (15 July), where he was disqualified from driving for four years and sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, after admitting both offences.

PC Gavin Taylor, who investigated, said: “This is the third time Wozniak has been disqualified from driving after being found behind the wheel of the car while intoxicated within a three year period, showing his complete disregard for the safety of other road users.

“Driving while under the influence of drink or drugs is extremely dangerous as it can affect your reaction times and the ability to judge distances or speeds, and I urge the public to report any concerns around people driving while under the influence to us.”

The force operates a dedicated, confidential hotline – 0800 032 0845 – which is available 24/7 and provides the public with the chance to provide information about anyone they think may be driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

Information about drink driving, the law and the penalties, can be found on the force’s dedicated road safety information webpages.