FIL caught drink driving

It’s a mandatory ban for 12-36 months, depending on the degree of intoxication. No talking out of it. If he’s had a previous conviction for drink driving or a totting ban it will be considerably longer. Don’t waste your money.

Christ. Of course don't give him a penny! I'd be raging if my dh gave him any sympathy, let alone any money. He deserves all he gets. Regardless of nobody else in the car, what about people in other cars he could have killed?

Look up the sentencing guidelines for driving with alcohol. They're very clear. Depending on his reading he will get a minimum 12 month ban. There is no point fighting it at all, there is no discretion. They may offer him the drink driving awareness course which if successfully completed entitles you to a 25 % reduction in the length of the ban. The best thing he can do is turn up, show some remorse (feigned if he doesn't have any genuine) and plead guilty. His fine will be reduced by 33% if he does that. There's no fool like an old fool.

If the message that drink driving is wrong hasn't got into his head nearly 60 years after the law was introduced, with consistent public service adverts, especially at Christmas, then he deserves everything he gets.

I would never help out someone who thought it was ok to potentially injure or kill someone else so that they could have a drink. YANBU.

Hell would not only be cold but frozen solid, iced and frozen again before I defended any drunk driver.

He could have killed someone. He was on an A road (so probably speed limit between 30 - 60, was over the limit and speeding. He did not give a s**t about anyone else on that road, only that he had had 6 pints, and felt that limits, whether alcohol or speed, are for other people.

He needs to have the full extent of the sentences thrown at him. I dgaf that he’s in his 70s. He needs to lose his licence - and then, when that happens, you need to take the car keys & possibly the car itself off him. Because if he’s this blasè about the limits, I would bet anything he will continue to drive if he has access to the car, license or not.

But no, do not support him trying to get off. He needs consequences not enabling.

He obviously didn't care enough about his dm to stop drink driving. If he gets let off (which I'm hoping he won't), he'll just carry on

Stupid entitled man doesn't deserve a penny of your money. Actions have consequences.

She said he's been doing it for years. Pretty sure there will have been ample opportunity to report him or take his keys which any decent person would do.

Yanbu but let him crack on as he will get a longer ban for showing no remorse or insight and it is what he deserves.

What could they do after the event? Unless caught behind the whee and texted as over the limit there is no proof he was drinking over the limit

This

I don't think there is much point pleading innocent, they have the evidence and it just annoys the judge. The most to hope for is mitigation, which is plead guilty, hopefully not have too high an alcohol reading, no previous convictions, apologise, ask to go on a drink driving course and plead that he needs his car for his caring responsibilities. He might just keep his licence if he's really lucky. Unless he has some serious evidence that there was some sort of error by the police a solicitor is not going to be much help.

Hah. A classic FAFO. Nor your problem and helping him would be money better spent on taxis for your MIL.

You are not being unreasonable. Drunk drivers kill people

Absolutely no way would I support his actions, it would be a cold day in hell before he got a penny from me.

It's an automatic ban, as it should be.

You should ask your DH to read the sentencing guidelines for it and advise his dad accordingly

He wasn't thinking about GMIL when he drank 6 pints and tried to drive home so that's not going to wash with a judge.

You've had rows over it before? So he regularly drives under the Influence but no-one thought to report him because your kids weren't in the car? So no thought for kids travelling in another car that he could have killed. .I don't care who they are, I'd report my own dad if he ever did that. Shame on you all for turning a blind eye to it previously.

I was the child of a drunk driver, I was the child seriously injured in an accident caused by said drunk driver. You have children? Don’t give him a penny, his disgusting choices have consequences.
Why on earth is your DH, who has children, wavering about anything in regard to this???

He will be banned and that is a good thing. He could have killed someone on Christmas Eve. He should be feeling remorseful and wanting to hand his licence back not trying to get out of it.

Don’t waste your money , it is an automatic ban .
I despise people who drink and drive . Their selfishness and recklessness could cost someone their lives .
I don’t understand why people even do this.

Not a chance I’d be giving him a penny. I lost a family member due to a drunk driver so have even less sympathy (if that’s possible) the average person.
He deserves a ban, if he wants to throw how own money into a pointless defence, let him, but it would be a cold day in hell before I gave him a penny from mine.

I’d just sit back and let it unfold
I doubt very much he’ll be able to to get off without a ban
also going forward with his age and a conviction his insurance is going to be sky high
if your husband does want to give him money he might as well just set fire to it

He can't get out of it. The starting point is a ban. There are no mitigating circumstances which mean that he will not get a ban. And rightly so ! Look at the sentencing guidelines for drink driving . As dependent on how much over he was it will tell you the length of the ban. Doesn't matter if he has caring responsibilities he will still be banned . Don't waste your money.

He’d be better off spending the money on cabs/Ubers - or saving it for his future insurance costs which will rocket after his ban.

Do you know how far over he was? If not very marginal (in which case a blood test at the station would have been done), he will get a ban.

No point in wasting money on a solicitor; it would better spent on a bicycle.