Drunk-driver Had Been Using Strong Alcohol As An Anaesthetic For Mouth Pain

A DRINK-driver who shunted a car along the pavement in Soham had been using strong Czech alcohol as an anaesthetic to quell a raging pain in his mouth, magistrates heard this week. Jiri Borovicka gave a breath test reading almost four times the legal limi

A DRINK-driver who shunted a car along the pavement in Soham had been using strong Czech alcohol as an anaesthetic to quell a raging pain in his mouth, magistrates heard this week.

Jiri Borovicka gave a breath test reading almost four times the legal limit after the incident, and appeared in court on Thursday.

Borovicka, 51, of Fanshawe Road, Cambridge, admitted driving a Vauxhall Zafira when over the alcohol limit in King's Parade at Soham on July 15.

He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, was banned from driving for three years, and must pay �60 costs.

It was midday on July 15 when police were alerted to a motorist driving erratically around Soham, said prosecutor Laura Mardell.

A few minutes later, a woman's car was shunted along the pavement, damaging its bumper and lights. After police arrived, Borovicka gave a breath test reading of 127 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath, when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

Borovicka, a supervising plumber, had been suffering from a mouth abscess, and used the traditional method of drinking Czech spirit liquor as an antiseptic and anaesthetic, said Hugh Cauthery, mitigating.

"He clearly went too far," he added.