Bandon court bans van driver for drug use behind wheel

A 35-year-old delivery driver from Cork city has lost his licence for a year after being caught with cannabis and cocaine in his system while operating a courier vehicle.

Bandon court bans van driver for drug use behind wheel

A delivery driver from Cork city will be off the road for the next 12 months after a judge banned him for operating a vehicle while under the influence of banned substances.

Kamil Michalik, 35, of Hyde Park on Tory Top Road, was behind the wheel of a Ford Transit when Gardaí pulled him over at Kilbrogan, Bandon, on the morning of June 20 last year. The stop was part of a routine roadside check.

According to evidence presented at Bandon District Court, the defendant first blew into a breathalyser, which registered no alcohol. Officers then requested a saliva swab, which flagged traces of two illegal drugs.

Michalik was brought to the local station, where a vial of blood was drawn. Forensic specialists at the Medical Bureau of Road Safety subsequently verified that both cannabis and cocaine were present in the sample.

The presiding officer noted that the accused already had a criminal record spanning ten entries, half of them motoring violations plus a theft offence.

Representing him, Simon Kelly argued that any suspension of his client's licence would spell the end of his employment as a courier. He stressed that Michalik co-habits with his partner and their child, and that the fallout would be felt at home.

After entering a guilty plea, the defendant came before Judge Joanne Carroll. She barred him from driving for one year, calling it sufficient punishment given the livelihood he would forfeit. No fine or prison term was added.

The judge additionally bound him to probation for the same period, with mandatory attendance at substance-abuse therapy and a road-safety course.

Source: echo live

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