A drink driver who crashed into parked cars and ran from the scene has been fined.
Warren Knight drove a black Bentley Continental and crashed into parked cars in Goldstone Street, Hove on at 1.30am on July 30 this year.
He then left the scene on foot but was traced by specialist officers from the roads policing unit (RPU) to his home address where he had gone to sleep.
The car after the crash (Image: Sussex Police)
In custody, more than three hours after the crash was reported, police found he was still more than twice the drink drive limit.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on September 21, Knight admitted driving over the prescribed limit for alcohol and has been disqualified from driving.
The court heard how the incident happened near the tunnel under the railway at the junction of Conway Street and Fonthill Road.
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Officers traced Knight as the registered car’s owner back to his home address.
He confirmed he was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Knight, a property manager of Hill Drive, Hove, failed a roadside breath test.
In custody he tested positive for 85 microgrammes (uhg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of breath. The legal limit is 35uhg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
At interview, he admitted he had been drinking since lunchtime the day before, and had hoped to book a taxi home.
When he could not find one, he returned to his office to drive his own vehicle.
Knight said the crash was caused by the radio or a distraction inside the car, and accepted he should not have been drinking and driving.
In court, he was disqualified from driving for 22 months, and was ordered to pay a £2,300 fine, £920 surcharge, and £85 court costs.
RPU officer PC Christine Clack said: “Knight’s actions were reckless, he was extremely lucky not to have caused serious harm to himself or anyone else on the road.
“Drink-driving is one of the main causes of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“Taking steps to prevent drink-driving, such as booking a taxi or walking home are some of the easiest ways to prevent drink-driving and the risks this poses.
“Knight apologised for his behaviour and has had to pay a high price for his poor decision to get behind the wheel that night.”
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