A scientist who helped design breathalysers to catch drunken motorists has himself been banned for drink driving after failing a roadside breath test.
Retired Dr Richard Lacey, 70, mounted a roundabout in his car after drinking a bottle of wine and pints with his lunch.
A court heard his wheel was damaged in the incident, leaving his Peugeot 208 Gt Puretech immobile.
Lacey, who is now retired from his tech company Tilekiln Tech Consultants Ltd, told the court how he helped design breathalysers when he was working.
Dr Lacey said: ‘I’m retired. I designed breathalysers and used to work with the police.
‘I had a couple of glasses of wine with lunch and a few pints of beer.’
The court heard Lacey’s breath was measured at 41 micrograms – exceeding the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
Lacey pleaded guilty to a single charge of drink driving.
Lacey, who represented himself, said: ‘I’ve really got nothing to say. I misjudged how much I’d drunk.’
The dreaded breathalysers were developed in the 1970s to detect whether motorists have consumed too much alcohol to legally be allowed to drive.
They were developed by Lion Laboratories in Barry, South Wales, and have caught tens of thousands of drunken drivers.
But the retired scientist became the latest caught after police were called to the collision on the A479 near Talgarth.
Prosecutor Shane Maddocks told Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ Court that Lacey was described as ‘wobbly’ when police arrived at the scene in Powys on November 23.
He said: ‘PC Williams and PC Webber were on patrol in the Brecon area; they received a call from a member of the public, reporting that the defendant had mounted the kerb at a Talgarth roundabout.
‘The car had been removed off the roundabout. The defendant had definitely been drinking and was wobbly.
‘The vehicle was damaged, its right wheel was twisted, which had rendered the vehicle immobile.
‘The defendant said he had drunk a couple of pints and a bottle of wine. He failed the roadside breath test and was arrested.’
Mr Maddocks said Lacey had no previous convictions.
Lacey of Wallstytch Lane, Kington, was disqualified from driving for 13 months – but can reduce this ban by 13 weeks by completing a drink drive awareness course.
He was also fined £600 and told to pay a £240 surcharge and £85 costs.
This post was originally published on here
