Drunk taxi driver loses licence blaming ‘bitter’ tasting orange juice as source of unknown alcohol consumption
A taxi driver caught swerving along the M1 in Leicestershire was stopped using a rolling roadblock after concerns for public safety.
The 46-year-old driver was seen weaving between lanes near Ratby while his 90-year-old mother sat in the passenger seat of his Volkswagen. A National Highways officer spotted the erratic driving and alerted police, who intervened to prevent a potential crash.
The cabbie, Nadarajah Balan, was arrested and taken into custody, where he recorded a breathalyser reading of 69 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which equates to almost double the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
According to Leicestershire Live, he pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on 5 February. His defence lawyer, David Jennings, claimed the driver had unknowingly consumed alcohol. He said his client had been drinking orange juice that “tasted bitter” but continued, later realising it had been laced with alcohol.
Jennings told the court that the conviction would cost Balan his job as a taxi driver and put his financial situation at risk. He urged magistrates to impose the shortest possible ban.
Balan was disqualified from driving for 20 months. He was also fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.
