Czech man facing jail for driving whilst over 4 times the booze limit in Sunderland

But Petr Flitar, 34, was not upping sticks from Eastern Europe but 220 miles from Northamptonshire, where he was living with his partner and children. And Flitar, of Hendon Valley Road, Hendon, had been in the UK at least as early 2017, when he was also caught driving with excess alcohol.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 9, he pleaded guilty to the same charge – and was remanded into custody. He had fled the court at a hearing temporarily adjourned on the same matter on Wednesday, May 7, having been warned he may be jailed.

On that occasion he told Probation Service staff had planned to leave the country and return to the Czech Republic. Prosecutor Paul Anderson said Flitar committed his latest motoring crime at 11pm on Thursday, March 20.

Mr Anderson revealed police were alerted to a possible drink driver at a roundabout, outside a pub in the city’s Grangetown. He added: “The information was that a vehicle was partly on a roundabout and partly in the road and pointing in the wrong direction.

“The defendant was found and appeared to be drunk. A roadside test showed that he was over the limit. He accepted in interview to drink driving. There are relevant convictions. He was last before a court in 2017 for drink driving and driving without insurance.

“The guidelines give a starting point of 12 weeks custody, with a range from a high-level community order to 26 weeks custody. It’s a minimum disqualification of 36 months, with a range up to 60 months.”

Flitar gave a reading for alcohol in breath of 141mcg. The legal limit is 35mcg. Paul McAlindon, defending, told magistrates: “It’s accepted that the defendant left the court before the case was concluded.

“In the period the case was stood down, Mr Flitar was made absolutely aware there was a realistic prospect of a custodial sentence. He is very frank about that, that he got scared at the prospect, and panicked and did not return.

“He lives in Sunderland with his partner and four children, having moved from Northamptonshire last month. He has mental health issues and the stress of moving to Sunderland was indirectly linked to this driving offence.

“The move caused some stress and division with his partner and exacerbated existing mental health issues. He is disappointed in himself that, after not touching alcohol for the best part of eight years, he turned to alcohol.

“You may have concerns, given that he left court. I think that was a grave panic on his behalf of going into custody.”

Magistrates told Flitar they had “substantial grounds to believe that he would not return to court”. They imposed an interim driving ban and Flitar will appear at the same court for sentencing on Monday, June 30.