Factory worker ‘showed sheer contempt for others’ - judge

Thirty-two-year-old Kestutis Litvaitis, of The Grove, Killymoyle, Dungannon, was found unconscious lying beside his car before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he was treated for a bleed on the brain.

Litvaitis was disqualified from driving for two years for driving with excess alcohol and fined a total of £750 for having no insurance and dangerous driving on June 24 last.

Imposing the penalties at East Tyrone Magistrates Court, District Judge John Meehan told Litvaitis that he had “shown sheer contempt for everyone.”

Counsel prosecuting said police were called to the two vehicle collision around 1pm and found the defendant lying beside his car unconscious and was being worked on by paramedics.

He said in the other vehicle were two adults and a two year old child who were treated for shock and whiplash.

Counsel said it was alleged that Litvaitis had driven towards the other vehicle on the wrong side of the road causing the collision.

He said police checked the defendant’s vehicle and it appeared he had been sitting on a closed seat belt and there were cans of alcohol lying around inside.

While in hospital, police got permission from doctors to take blood from the defendant and an alcohol reading of 83mls was obtained, counsel said.

Defence solicitor Jarlath Faloon said it was the defendant’s own vehicle but, unfortunately, he did not have a licence to drive it either here or in his native Lithuania.

Mr Faloon explained at the time of the collision Litvaitis was going through a hard time with a divorce and was drinking heavily.

He said the defendant was “genuinely remorseful about what he did.”

“He recognises that the outcome could have been much worse and he could have killed himself and the others,” he continued.

The solicitor said the father-of-two had been planning to send the car back to Lithuania with a friend.

Mr Faloon said Litvaitis had been seriously injured and spent one and a half weeks in hospital and “nearly lost his life.”

He pointed out that the defendant did not have a criminal record and worked in a local engineering factory and after paying rent sent money back to his family in Lithuania.

District Judge Meehan said while he accepted that the defendant had been seriously injured in the collision, he should not have been on the road.

Mr Meehan made a forfeiture order in respect of the defendant’s car and ordered him to pay a £15 offender levy.