Man sentenced for drink driving after being rescued from his car in river near Withybrook

If you are caught drink or drug driving the consequences can be long lasting as this case below demonstrates.

A whole year after being arrested on suspicion of drink driving after crashing his expensive BMW X5 motor vehicle into the small river in the village of Withybrook, 48 year old Bernard Frederick Reilly of Parkfield Road, Rugby was convicted on 30 November 2020 of drink driving and was disqualified from driving for 20 months. He was also ordered to pay £1,520 costs, £57 victim surcharge and a £576 fine.

Police were alerted to the collision at 1.50am a few days before Christmas on 22 December 2019 when a member of the public saw the vehicle partly submerged in the river. The car was locked and the sole occupant was unable to get out until a member of the public managed to get on top of the vehicle and smash the window. Police, fire and ambulance attended the scene. The driver was checked over by paramedics and taken to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire for further assessment. He was later summoned to court via postal requisition.

Warwickshire Police will be publicising arrests made during December for drink or drug driving as a way of demonstrating how officers are being proactive in targeting people suspected of drink or drug driving. This is part of a campaign aimed at changing people’s behaviour and reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads.

Officers are also asking the public to provide intelligence about anyone they believe may be drink or drug driving in Warwickshire to police by dialling 101 or 999 if an offence is in progress. Reports can also be made anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Follow us on Facebook @WarwickshirePolice and Twitter @WarksPolice @OPUWarks or visit the news section of our website www.warwickshire.police.uk for arrest details. We will also be using the hashtags #MoreDrugsThanDrink #Dontdrinkdrive