A serving soldier charged with crashing into a bridge while under the influence of alcohol, told a court that his job in the Army involved recovering broken down and damaged vehicles.
Luke Thompson, 20, whose home address is Chapel Street, Spalding, who admitted driving with excess alcohol at Boston Magistrates Court, was said to have crashed his Ford Fiesta into the bridge at The Common, Crowland and then abandoning his car and getting a lift from the scene.
Prosecuting, Emma Lant said police had gone to the scene following reports of the collision at 10.50pm on August 18 and were able to find the vehicle in which he had left the scene and arrested him following a positive breath test.
She said he gave a reading of 46 microgrammes of alcohol in his breath, the legal limit being 35, and gave an explanation that he had taken the corner ‘too close’.
Thompson, who was not represented in court, told the magistrates he was ‘extremely remorseful’ and had been ‘very selfish’.
He said his job involved driving but that he understood the consequences.
He was banned from driving for 14 months but was offered the drink drivers’ rehabilitation course which will reduce the period of the ban by 14 weeks.
He was also fined £300 and ordered to pay a total of £119 in court costs and charges.
