Drunk driver rammed nightclub with car after being refused entry

Tuesday 18 December 2012

A drunk motorist drove his car into the doorway of a club after he was refused entry, police said.

The man was spotted drinking in several bars in Edinburgh before ramming his vehicle into the wall at the Western Bar, in the West Port area, where the doorman who had refused him entry was standing.

The drink-driving incident on December 12 is one of dozens reported by police during their annual festive crackdown.Police said that around 6.15pm, the Romanian male, after being seen drinking in various licensed premises in Edinburgh, returned to his parked car nearby and drove the wrong way down the one-way street on to West Port. He then pointed the front of the vehicle towards the front of the Western Bar, blocking the traffic in both directions. The male then drove the vehicle up on to the pavement and into the doorway where a doorman, who had refused him entry earlier, was standing.His car hit the wall and the male reversed back on to the road and in doing so, hit a parked BMW. He made a second attempt to drive into the doorway towards the doorman but the car stopped and the doorman from the nearby Burke and Hare reacted to the man's erratic driving and, knowing he had been drinking, ran and took the keys from the driver.The driver then got out and shouted homophobic insults at the manager of the Western Bar.Police were called and breathalysed the accused, who failed the roadside breath test and was later found to be more than twice the legal limit. He was later charged with drink driving, dangerous driving, assault and two breaches of the peace.Elsewhere across Scotland, officers ave detected 194 offenders in the first fortnight of the four-week campaign led by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos). A further 13 have been caught driving under the influence of drugs.In the village of Glenochil in Clackmannanshire, a motorist who ran off and hid after colliding with another car was tracked down using a police dog.Meanwhile, a 17-year-old was charged with drug-driving after he was stopped in Alloa on December 14 just four days after passing his test.In Glenrothes, a man crashed his car into traffic lights and a bollard on December 15 before providing a breath specimen more than three times the legal limit.Police officers were spat at after stopping a man in Lochaber, who told them he had a blood-borne virus. He was more than twice the legal limit, had only a provisional driving licence and had no insurance.Deputy Chief Constable Tom Ewing, of the Acpos drink driving unit, said: "For a second week in our national campaign I have to report that dozens of drivers across Scotland have failed to heed the message about drink/drug driving."I have made it quite clear that every effort will be made by police officers and our partners in law enforcement to end this scourge."It is illegal, it is dangerous and it could be fatal. It is worth noting that there is a small decrease in the numbers compared to last year but that it no cause for celebration - the numbers are still unacceptable."Acpos underlined that people caught drug or drink driving face a 12-month driving ban and risk being fined up to £5,000.Offenders also face losing their car and in serious cases can be jailed for up to six months.According to the latest figures, it is estimated that just over one in nine deaths on Scottish roads involve drivers who are over the legal limit.

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Drunk driver rammed nightclub with car after being refused entry

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