Every day drink-drivers across Kent put innocent lives in danger and risk the consequences of being caught drunk at the wheel.

Here we look at the reckless motorists who found themselves brought to justice this year for taking to the county’s roads while under the influence...

Fake-plates road-stop led to drunken attack on officer

Charlie Dash was pulled over in Maidstone Road, Chatham, at just before 5am on September 15 after officers noticed his vehicle was carrying false number plates.

After police stopped the father-of-three, he got out of his car and started shouting and waving his arms about, kicking one officer in the groin as he was handcuffed.

Dash, of Daffodil Avenue in Minster on the Isle Sheppey, was charged with assaulting an emergency worker, drink-driving, driving without a licence, failing to stop, and driving without insurance.

He admitted all the offences when he appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court, which heard he had 58 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35.

For the assault, the bench handed down a 56-day sentence suspended for 18 months.

They ordered the 27-year-old to do 180 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation sessions and banned him from driving for three years.

He was also fined £300 and given points on his licence.

Man drove BMW after drinking in nightclub

Eric-Ray Smith decided to drive his car home after a "pint or two" while out dancing at the Tap 'N' Tin in Chatham.

However, after leaving in the early hours, Smith, of Symonds Road, Cliffe, was pulled over as he drove along Commercial Road, Strood, on August 25.

When given a breath test, he gave a reading of 56 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The 25-year-old was charged with drink-driving and admitted the offence when he appeared before Medway magistrates on September 14.

Smith told the bench he did not feel he was drunk when he got behind the wheel but admitted he should have got a taxi home.

Magistrates banned Smith from driving for a year and fined him £110.

Student hit lamppost with mum’s car after downing vodka

Ilma Roman was over the drink-driving limit when she drove her mum’s Vauxhall Mokka on August 24.

The 20-year-old, who is training to become a doctor, did not make very far before she hit a lamppost at the bottom of Fort Pitt Hill, Chatham.

Police officers who attended the scene gave Roman a roadside breath test and found she was over the limit. She later told police she had been drinking earlier in the day.

After a visit to hospital, she was given further tests and gave a reading of 77 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Roman, who lives in student halls in Wandsworth but at the time was staying at her mum’s house in Boundary Road, Chatham, admitted drink-driving when she appeared in court a few weeks later.

Magistrates banned her from driving for 17 months and fined her £100.

The court was told Roman, who was studying to be a doctor at St George’s Hospital in West London, may not be able to finish her course after informing tutors about the charge.

The court was told it could have jeopardised her whole career now she has a conviction as all employees of the British Medical Association are required to have a criminal record check.

Mercedes driver crashed after night drinking Champagne

Benn Wood, from Chatham, crashed his car into a pub fence after a night drinking Champagne.

The 38-year-old had been arguing with his wife who then kicked him out of the hotel room they had been sharing.

After the row Wood decided to drive home, but on the way crashed his Mercedes into a fence near the George pub in Benover Road, Yalding, in the early hours of August 3.

Police arrived and arrested Wood after a breathalyser test found he was more than two times the legal limit, giving a reading of 75 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Wood, of Hallsfield Road, Walderslade, was later charged with drink-driving and admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Maidstone on September 5.

The bench told Wood his decision on the night was wrong, banned him from driving for 17 months and fined him £440.

Globe-trotting banker sold Audi after drink-driving conviction

A high-flying bank worker told a court she had sold her Audi and bought a push bike after being caught drink-driving.

Laura Upton, from Matfield, was returning home after a night out when she was spotted swerving across a road in Tonbridge and pulled over by police at about 2am on July 23.

The 35-year-old, who travels all over the world for her work, earning £1,500 a week, told officers she’d had a lot to drink before blowing a reading of 91 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Upton spent a night in the cells and was charged with drink-driving, admitting the offence when she later appeared before magistrates.

The court heard that following the incident she sold her Audi car, purchased a push bike and was using public transport to get about.

Chairman of the bench Diane Chambers said: “It’s apparent you have made a silly mistake, but an accident could have occurred and you could have hurt people or you could get hurt.”

Magistrates banned Upton from driving for 23 months, fined her £1,500 and also ordered her to pay a victim surcharge of £600 and £85 in court costs.

Barista drove into bush after downing beer and wine

James Russell was more than treble the legal limit when he was spotted driving erratically in Ulcombe, near Maidstone, on July 5.

Another driver was so concerned he followed him and even beeped his horn to get him to stop.

Russell, 51, eventually slowed the car to a halt, but as he did so rolled into a bush and hit a concrete kerb.

The coffee-shop-worker failed a roadside breath test and was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.

At the police station he gave a reading of 108 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

Russell, of Oyster Lane, West Byfleet, Surrey, was charged with drink-driving and admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Maidstone.

The bench told Russell his actions that day were stupid, banned him from driving for 26 months and ordered him to complete 50 hours of unpaid work.

Porsche driver slurred words when quizzed by police

The driver of a Porsche spotted drifting from lane to lane along an A-road was found to be over the limit.

Tejwant Chattha was described as slurring his speech when he was pulled over by officers on the A2 near Dartford on May 27.

The 45-year-old then failed a roadside breath test.

Chattha, of Queens Farm Road, Shorne, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and taken to a police station and given further tests.

He was later charged with drink-driving after giving a reading of 47 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

He appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court on July 12 and pleaded guilty to the offence.

The bench heard Chattha was remorseful for his actions but nonetheless banned him from driving for 12 months and fined him £300.

Woman crashed Land Rover into parked cars

A woman who had a row with her partner while they were out for a meal later crashed her Land Rover into a parked car and was found to be more than three times the legal drink-drive limit.

Another motorist saw chartered accountant Claire McCarthy crash her vehicle into a car parked in London Road, Gillingham, in April.

The witness stopped after the smash and police were called. When officers arrived McCarthy was given a breath test and failed it.

The 52-year-old mother-of-two was arrested and given further breath tests at a police station and gave a reading of 106 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35.

McCarthy, of Rotary Gardens, Gillingham, was later charged with drink-driving and pleaded guilty to the offence when she appeared before Medway magistrates on May 17.

Defending herself, she admitted: “It was reckless and ridiculous and a dreadful mistake.”

Magistrates banned McCarthy from driving for two years and placed her on a 12-month community order which will see her complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

Magistrates ‘never seen such a high breathalyser reading’

Stunned magistrates told a man caught drink-driving while almost five times the limit that they had never seen such a high reading.

Gareth Evans was pulled over in his Vauxhall Zafira in Lamb’s Walk, Whitstable, after a concerned witness raised the alarm, fearing the 47-year-old was drunk at the wheel.

Police were called to the scene at about 3.30pm on March 24 and Evans failed a roadside breathalyser.

The father of several children was arrested and a test at the police station revealed he had 165 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of his breath – the legal limit is 35.

He was later told by magistrates they had never seen such a high breath-test reading.

Magistrates jailed Evans for 12 weeks, but suspended the term for a year.

He was also banned from driving for three years.

Drunk clubber’s shocking driving caught on camera

Shocking CCTV footage showed a drunk clubber driving on pavements in a town centre before hitting a traffic island and losing a hubcap.

Ashmit Limbu was spotted weaving his silver VW Golf around Ashford after stumbling out of a club during the early hours of Saturday, February 18.

Limbu was so intoxicated he could barely drive the vehicle properly, mounting a grass verge to reach another road and almost hitting a shopfront.

Police tracked him down with CCTV footage and saw him driving on numerous roads in the town centre, including North Street, Edinburgh Road, and New Street.

When the police officer caught up with the criminal later that night he tried to urinate on a lamppost but when he was told not to, he became abusive.

Limbu, of Beecholme Drive, Kennington, refused to provide urine for anaylsis but was later charged with driving without due care and attention.

When he appeared in court the charge was amended to dangerous driving and he was also charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis, assault on an emergency worker, and threatening behaviour towards the officer.

He admitted the offences when he appeared at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on April 13.

Limbu was this month given a 10-month jail term suspended for two years and a two-year driving ban.

KFC worker downed cans before driving

A KFC worker pulled over by police was found to be over the legal drink-drive limit after downing several cans earlier that evening.

Daniel Coman was at the wheel of a Nissan Note in Whitstable Road, Canterbury, on January 22 when he came to the attention of officers on a mobile patrol.

After deciding to stop him, they smelled alcohol on his breath and asked him to do a roadside breath test, which the 42-year-old failed.

He was later charged with drink-driving and admitted the offence when he appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on February 15.

The court heard Coman, of Long Meadow Way in Hales Place, Canterbury, gave a reading of 51 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The judge banned him from driving for 12 months and fined him £300.

December crackdown in full swing

A special month-long campaign to stamp out drink-driving in Kent is being carried out by the county’s police force.

In the first week of December alone 116 people were arrested by officers supporting the national initiative.

As part of the operation, all drivers who commit a moving road traffic offence, irrespective of whether or not they are suspected of drink-driving, are being breathalysed.

Drug-wipe sample kits are also being used on drivers suspected of being unfit to drive through drugs.

Inspector David Crompton said: “We take a zero-tolerance approach to drink and drug-driving at all times of the year, and this campaign helps to put the focus onto tackling this type of offending.

“Driving under the influence of drink or drugs is a completely avoidable offence that places innocent members of the public in unnecessary danger.

“It is known to be one of the four most common causes of a serious collision, alongside not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone at the wheel and speeding. While only a very small minority of motorists commit offences of this nature, the consequences can be life-changing for all involved.”

Drivers risk up to six months in prison, an unlimited fine and a lengthy ban if they are caught driving while above the legal limit.

Anyone who causes a death while drink or drug-driving faces up to 14 years’ imprisonment.