Suspended sentence for drunk drive pilot
10.02.11
An off-duty Ryanair pilot who smashed his sports car into a brick wall at speed whilst drunk has received a suspended jail sentence and been banned from driving for three years, the Leicester Mercury reports.
James Sweetnam was on his way home from a barbecue at midnight when he lost control of the high-performance Nissan Skyline and demolished a house wall. The car ended up on its side in an adjacent driveway, on a housing estate in Castle Donington. He was helped by residents, who came to his aid after hearing the crash but then ran off and was seen lying down trying to hide in bushes !
The 28-year-old, of Grange Drive, Castle Donington, who later returned to the scene, was employed by Ryanair at the time. Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said the defendant was driving at about 60mph in a 30mph.
He admitted dangerous driving, failing to provide a roadside breath test and driving having consumed excess alcohol on May 23 last year. He was sentenced to a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for a year, ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for 3 years (because it was his second conviction for drink-driving) and was told he will have to take an extended re-test when he wants his driving licence back.
He has since left Ryanair and will soon take up a co-pilot's job with Emirates.
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