The legal breath alcohol limit for driving in Ireland is 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
A nurse with 17 years of service was disqualified from driving after she crashed into a lamppost, while almost five times over the legal alcohol limit, following a personal crisis.
Liliana Bortos, of 135 Charlesland Court, Co. Wicklow, pleaded guilty at Bray District Court to a charge of driving or attempting to drive a vehicle while exceeding the legal alcohol limit (breath).
The court heard the incident occurred on December 2, 2024, when Ms Bortos drove her Toyota into a lamppost. Ms Bortos’s documents were in order. She admitted at the scene that she was under the influence of alcohol. She failed a breath test with a reading of 108mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, nearly five times the legal limit.
Michael O’Connor, solicitor for Ms Bortos, told the court that his client is a Romanian national who has been a nurse at St James’s Hospital in Dublin for over 17 years. He said the defendant had been in a relationship for 11 years, which ended on the day of the incident when her partner broke up with her via a letter.
The court was told that Ms Bortos’s former partner had borrowed over €45,000 and spent it “on various motorcycles and vehicles”, leaving her in severe debt.
It was further explained that Ms Bortos had just finished a 12-hour shift when she received the news. She drank some wine and forgot to eat. The incident occurred when she left to get food.
Mr O’Connor told the court that his client is “a very decent woman,” adding that “she knows she did the wrong thing and was drinking to help soften the blow.”
Judge David Kennedy noted that the alcohol reading was extremely high but opted to keep the fine low due to her financial situation. He disqualified her from driving for three years and imposed a €150 fine, giving her five months to pay.