A local man was today sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from driving for three years after pleading guilty to a Drink Driving offence in which he blew 158ug in a roadside test.  This is thought to be one of the highest breathalyser results ever recorded in Gibraltar. The legal limit is 35ug.

The court heard that, at about 1515 on Saturday 9 September 2023, officers were in Flat Bastion Road on an unconnected matter when they saw local man Alan Boydon, 48, riding a delivery motorcycle towards them. Once the machine was stationery, Boydon was unsteady on his feet, his speech was slurred and alcohol could be smelled on his breath.

Officers cautioned Boydon, who was working at the time, and asked him to take a roadside test in which he blew 158ug, more than four times the legal limit.  He was arrested and taken to New Mole House where he blew 146ug on the evidential machine.

In a separate court case today, a resident of Santa Margarita was fined £300 and disqualified for 6 months after pleading guilty to Driving with Alcohol Concentration over the Limit.

The court heard that, at around 1730 on Saturday 30 September 2023, officers were travelling southbound on Smith Dorrien Avenue when the van in front of them drifted towards the oncoming lane.  As officers prepared to signal the vehicle to stop, it pulled into a petrol station and officers were able to speak to the driver, Arnold Molnar, 38, a Hungarian national.  They noticed that Molnar’s eyes were bloodshot, he was unsteady on his feet and nervous when answering the officers’ questions.

In a roadside test, Molnar blew 50ug and, on the evidential machine at New Mole House, he blew 49ug.

A spokesman for the Royal Gibraltar Police, said: “Yet again, we would like to remind drivers that they are putting themselves and others at significant risk when getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.

“We want to stress to everyone that alcohol affects everyone differently and any amount can impair someone’s ability to drive. The only safe option is to avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving - even ‘just one drink’ could put you over the limit.”

If anyone has concerns about a person drink-driving, they can call the RGP in confidence on 200 72500 or 199 in emergencies.