A lorry driver who worked for an Irish company for over five years collided with a car while two and a half times over the drink-drive limit.
The collision happened as the HGV driver tried to enter the M1 in Derbyshire, England earlier this week.
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how Stefan Iloaea had drunk alcohol while he was parked up in a lay-by.
READ MORE: Gardai spot something amiss with 'youthful looking pensioner' at drink driving checkpoint
But the following morning, while driving his 44-tonne truck, the Romanian national, 35, struck another car and was breathalysed, Derbyshire Live reports.
After failing that roadside test, the defendant was arrested and at the police station gave an evidential reading of 90 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit in the UK is 35.
Theo Addae, his solicitor, told the hearing: "The defendant has been working for a company in Ireland for the past five-and-a-half-years delivering around the UK for a number of companies. In the process of doing that job, this weekend, he stopped for a break on Sunday and parked in a lay-by.
"There he consumed some alcohol given to him by an associate but he is not sure what it was or how strong it was. He stayed overnight in that lay-by and set off to go to his destination the following morning and was on his way there when he made minor contact with another vehicle.
"He said he thought he was OK to drive and this was a poor error of judgment on his part. He knows he's going to lose his licence, he has the funds to pay any fine on his debit card and his family is in Romania."
Peter Bettany, prosecuting, said police were called to junction 29 of the M1 at Heath, between Chesterfield and Mansfield, to reports of a collision between a car and Iloaea's 44-tonner, at 8.30am on Monday, August 15.
He said there, the defendant failed to roadside test and then the second one at the station.
Later that day, Derbyshire police's roads policing unit posted pictures of the incident on its Twitter page. In a tweet, it said: "J29, clips the car in front and is found to be 3 x over the drink-drive limit, in an HGV, about to join a motorway. #Unbelievable. Charged and remanded. #Fatal4 #DontDrinkAndDrive."
Iloaea, who the court was told has no fixed address in the UK, pleaded guilty to drink-driving and has no previous UK convictions.
District Judge Andrew Meachin fined him £350 (€413) and ordered him to pay £85 (€100) prosecution costs and a £140 (€165) victim surcharge. He also disqualified the defendant from driving for two years.
READ NEXT:
- Tributes pour in for 'gentle and wonderful' man after tragic incident on M11 in Co Wicklow
Will Budget 2023 see a jump in alcohol or cigarettes? First hint of what's to come
Get breaking news to your inbox bysigning up to our newsletter
