Grant Considine, 53, was banned from driving for 19 months after failing a breathalyzer test.
At 10 p.m. on September 5th, Aldi supermarket staff reported seeing a customer driving away smelling strongly of alcohol, leading police to stop him on Leek New Road in Biddulph Green.
Prosecutor Lee Stone informed North Staffordshire Justice Centre that Considine’s roadside breath test revealed 73 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
Considine, a local resident with no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.
Defence lawyer Tony Cook explained that Considine, a self-employed home energy assessor, had a severe toothache and had used a mouthwash containing 26% alcohol, a concentration higher than some spirits.
Local judges fined Considine £120, ordered him to pay £85 in court costs and a £48 surcharge. Completing a drink-driving rehabilitation course will reduce his driving ban by 19 weeks.
