Clitheroe dad found asleep at wheel with daughter in car was FOUR times the limit, court told
A father found asleep at the wheel of his parked car with his young daughter in the back seat was FOUR TIMES over the drink-drive limit, a court in Preston was told.
Personal trainer Louis Brazier had to be forcibly removed from the vehicle by police before being arrested, a judge heard.
The 32-year-old who worrks in Clitheroe was spared an immediate jail sentence after he also pleaded guilty to other offences including trying to strangle his wife, obstructing police and assaulting two officers in a separate drunken incident.
Judge Heather Lloyd told him he was “fortunate” that he still had the support of his family after what he had done.
“How on earth you have a job as a keep fit trainer is beyond me,” she said. “Your behaviour was absolutely appalling.”
The city’s Crown Court heard Brazier’s wife became concerned when he went out in the car with their daughter one afternoon and hadn’t returned after an hour. She phoned him and he sounded drunk.
At around 1:45pm police received a call from the ambulance service saying a man had been found asleep in the driver’s seat of a car. The engine was off and there was a young child in the vehicle.
The driver was forcibly removed by police and the child was taken home to her mother.
Under arrest Brazier was given a breath test which showed a level of 142 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.
The court was also told that Brazier had been having arguments with his wife over family finances. He grabbed her by the throat and the back of her head and forced her up against a wall, threatening to “beat the s*** out of her”.
The woman said she couldn’t breathe during the four seconds he held her before letting go. When police attended they saw red marks on her neck area.
At the time she was pregnant with the couple’s third child - she also had two children from a previous relationship.
When interviewed Brazier said there had been problems due to his drinking, but that was under control. He said there had never been any violence and he couldn’t understand the marks on his wife’s neck.
Judge Lloyd was told that Brazier’s wife had declined to provide a victim impact statement to the court and, although the couple were living apart, they were hoping to renew their relationship.
Whilst on bail for the drink driving and strangulation accusations the court heard Brazier was found the front garden of a property where they found Brazier sitting leaning against a wall. Two officers struggled to pick him up and as they tried to put him in the back of a police van he wouldn’t move his legs as they attempted to close the cage door.
As they tried to bend his legs he started to kick out, striking a woman officer once and the male officer twice. The male officer was a newcomer on his first day on duty who admitted he hadn’t expected to be assaulted so quickly into the job and lost his confidence, which he was hoping to get back.
Brazier, of Greengate Close, Nelson was charged with obstruction and assault, although neither officer sustained serious injuries.
His defence barrister said her client had been attending weekly sessions to deal with his drinking. He hoped they could reunite as a family unit.
She asked the judge to step back from an immediate prison sentence saying it would cause the family serious difficulties if he was to be sent to jail.
Judge Lloyd said all the offences before her had been caused by Brazier’s drinking. The amount of alcohol in his body when found asleep in the car with his daughter in the back was a “very high reading”.
She said he had assaulted his wife after being cautioned for the drink drive offence. He had told her the drinking wouldn’t happen again, but it had. When he assaulted the two officers he had “clearly been very drunk again”.
The only mitigating factor was that he had been of previous good character before these offences were committed.
“You are fortunate to have the continued support of your family,” she said. “You remain an alcoholic and you will remain an alcoholic for the rest of your life.”
She sentenced Brazier to 14 months in prison for the strangulation offence, 11 weeks for the drink-driving and one month each for assault and obstruction, all concurrent, making a total of 14 months to be suspended for two years.
She also ordered him to complete a Building Choices programme and 20 rehabilitation activity days.