By Mali Sapsed Foster
A man representing himself has pleaded guilty to three charges in Highbury Corner Magistrates court after causing a road collision and hitting a police vehicle while driving drunk.
On the 29th of December 2022, Mr Hussain, a 63-year-old Islington resident, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol over the prescribed limit, failure to stop when required by a constable and also driving without a licence.
“I had an argument with my wife that day,” he admitted in court earlier this week through an interpreter. “I couldn’t think properly.”
At 4:15 PM officers received a call to assist with a minor collision on Bowes Road in Enfield, as a man found to be Hussain had been driving a Mercedes recklessly and collided with another vehicle.
Prosecutors claim Hussain immediately fled the scene, continuing to make several turns before stopping at a red light. “I got panicked,” he said.
The court heard that officers approached Hussain at the red light and, after noticing his visible intoxication, demanded Hussain exit the vehicle. Hussain fled again as the traffic light turned green.
According to the prosecution, when officers eventually boxed him in, Hussain drove directly into a police vehicle in another attempt to flee.
When he was ultimately apprehended, officers discovered he was driving with an expired licence.
The breathalyser tests indicated the amount of alcohol Hussain consumed before driving was over three times the limit – at 116 micrograms per 100ml of breath.
The court heard Hussain’s driving licence was disqualified in 2020, though neither the prosecution nor Hussain himself could provide details as to why.
When questioned about his licence, Hussain, as the litigant in person, had little to communicate through his interpreter, except: “It expired, and I wasn’t aware it expired.”
Having pleaded guilty to all counts, Mr Hussain must interview with a probation officer on the morning of his sentencing, on the 22nd of February, to avoid further charges.
Magistrates imposed an interim disqualification of Hussain’s driving licence starting today until sentencing.
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