Royal Mail postman four times over limit said he only crashed as he was ‘looking at sea’
A Royal Mail delivery driver could be sacked after he crashed his own car into others while so drunk that one magistrate said they had never seen a higher alcohol reading.
Johannes Steenberg, 35, was more than four times the legal limit when he struck the parked vehicles on Deal seafront after leaving his home to get some food.
The 35-year-old would later tell police he was looking at the sea when he crashed his Ford Puma.
Steenberg, of Allenby Avenue, Deal, was charged and admitted drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Margate on Thursday.
The court heard he gave a breathalyser reading of 148 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – the legal limit is 35.
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‘This is an incredibly high reading – it’s the highest I have ever seen,’ said the chairman of the bench. ‘You are lucky no one got hurt.’
Julie Farbrace, prosecuting, told the court police had been called to The Marina in Deal in the early hours of December 28 last year after a car had collided with stationary vehicles.
She said Steenberg approached the officer and told him he had been driving and struck the cars while looking at the sea.
‘Officers thought he had been drinking, and he later blew 148 in breath, the limit is 35. He also failed an impairment test,’ she added.
‘A reading of 148 is at the top of the scale, and the starting point is 12 weeks’ custody. It warrants a 29- to 36-month ban.
‘The aggravating factor is that he was involved in a collision.’
Steenberg, who has no previous convictions and a clean driving licence, gave a no-comment interview to police.
Gemma Adams, defending, said her client is originally from South Africa and has been in this country for three years and lives with his partner.
‘He’s had some big traumas,’ she continued. ‘His dad and aunt passed away, and it was Christmas, and there were emotions.
‘He’d been drinking over the Christmas period, a few days before and the evening before – that’s why the reading is so high. He has not drunk since his arrest; it’s been a wake-up call.’
Ms Adams explained Steenberg is a Royal Mail delivery driver earning £1,400 a month, and would be impacted by any disqualification.
He will lose his employment and wages and may have to go down the benefits route,” she said.
A probation officer who interviewed Steenberg said he believed the defendant had shown a ‘high level of remorse’.
He added: ‘He had been drinking over those days and made a terrible decision to get food. He has struggled with the harm he could have caused (to others), and he’s also struggled with the very high reading. It shows a high level of remorse.
‘He was drinking over Christmas, but doesn’t have a problem with drink; he just drinks socially, but he’s likely to go to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) as he’s worried, so he’s got a high level of awareness about what happened.
‘He hopes to find other employment, as it will be a long driving ban.
The court heard Steenberg had not yet spoken to his employer about perhaps taking on another role within Royal Mail, but may explore that option after the case.
The chairman of the bench told him: ‘You are not going to prison today because of your clean record, but we are placing you on a community order for 18 months.’
As part of the order, Steenberg will have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was also banned from driving for three years and must pay court costs and a victim surcharge totalling £199.
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