'Extraordinarily drunk' lorry driver jailed

An "extraordinarily drunk" lorry driver who put "literally thousands of other road users" at risk has been jailed.

Police were called to reports a 44-tonne Scania lorry was swerving across lanes on the A1M between Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and St Neots, Cambridgeshire, on 27 June.

Gheorghe Hirtopeanu failed to stop when officers tried to pull him over and they had to deploy a stinger device to slow the vehicle down near Sawtry, according to Cambridgeshire Police.

The 65-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to driving offences, including dangerous driving, at Cambridge Crown Court and was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Road traffic officers located Hirtopeanu's lorry at Wyboston, Bedfordshire.

Despite deploying flashing blue lights and sirens, he failed to stop, according to Cambridgeshire Police.

They followed him for a further six miles until other officers used the stinger to slow him down.

They discovered Hirtopeanu inside the cab and he appeared to be drunk, but on being taken into custody, he refused to provide a breath sample.

His Honour, Judge Grey, described his driving as "outrageous" and said he was "extraordinarily drunk".

He told the court Hirtopeanu was "an appalling risk to literally thousands of other road users".

"There were only two reasons why you didn’t kill or seriously injure someone – luck and skill of police officers who were ultimately able to stop you," the judge added.

Hirtopeanu also pleaded guilty to driving whilst unfit through drink, failing to stop, failing to provide specimen for analysis and driving a vehicle drawing a trailer on the offside lane of a motorway.

He was banned from driving for eight years and four months.

PC Jemma Russell thanked members of the public who alerted the police to the incident.

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