Boozed-up Kirkby man who hit parked car couldn’t explain why he drove home

Daniel Kania did not remember the collision which left his Mercedes and the other car badly damaged on Diamond Avenue, Kirkby, Mansfield Magistrates’ Court heard.

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, said Kania initially began walking home, but was stopped by police officers and fully accepted what he had done on November 5, at about 7.30pm.

A test revealed he had 97 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35mcg.

Kania, aged 26, of Blidworth Road, Kirkby, admitted drink-driving.

Valerie Thorpe, mitigating, said the maintenance engineer has no previous convictions and was sorry for his actions and lack of judgment.

She said he could not explain why he drove as he normally walks home from the rugby club where he watched the match.

“He knows he will be disqualified," she said. "He will cycle to work.”

A probation officer said he consumed alcohol with his friends and left the scene “in panic and fear”.

“He accepts putting several peoples' lives at risk including his own,” she said.

Kania was given a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation days and 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.

He was banned from driving for two years, but the ban will be reduced by 24 weeks if he successfully completes a rehabilitation course before April 2024.