A MAN has been handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to multiple charges including driving while above the prescribed alcohol limit.

Mariusz Kawinski, 52, of Montfort Court, Haverhill, was stopped by officers on September 8 after a member of the public called police due to concerns over the manner of his driving.

Police officers arrested him and, according to Suffolk Police, found he was "more than four times above the legal limit" for alcohol.

Mr Kawinski was handed a 16 week custodial sentence, suspended for two years after he pleaded guilty to three charges at Ipswich Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, September 9.

After pleading guilty to the charge of driving while above the prescribed alcohol limit, Mr Kawinski was also disqualified from driving for 36 months and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.

He also pleaded guilty to using a motor vehicle with the cords exposed in the tyre and for driving a motor vehicle when the windscreen was not maintained to allow for unobscured vision.

Mr Kawinski was handed a £300 fine for each of these offences and was also ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge and £105 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Gary Miller from the Joint Road and Armed Policing Team said: "There is no excuse for Mariusz Kawinski’s decision to drive while in no fit condition and he is very lucky it did not have more serious or even fatal consequences, either for himself or other road users.

“To drive while in that state, and in a vehicle that was not fit for the road, is totally unacceptable.

“I am very grateful to the member of the public that reported their concerns to us.

"Thanks to their call and the swift response of my officers, Kawinski will not be allowed on our roads for an extended period and will have time to think about the consequences of his actions.

“Remember the main causes of serious injuries and death on the road, involve one of the fatal four - drink-driving, excessive speed, not wearing a seat belt, using a mobile phone.”