A drink-driver who crashed into a wall has been fined £1,700 and banned for three years.

Artur Smiechura was more than twice the legal limit when he lost control of his Volkswagen Polo at Summerhill Road in Onchan.

Magistrates also ordered the 48-year-old to take an extended test at the end of his ban and complete a drink-driving rehabilitation course.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that Smiechura, who lives at Main Road in Onchan, was driving at 6am on July 16, on Queen’s Promenade in Douglas.

He turned onto Summerhill Road but then veered into the opposite carriageway and hit a wall, close to the memorial garden.

The car spun around and came to rest on the pavement, facing the promenade.

Police arrived and spoke to Smiechura, who told them that he had drunk two beers.

He was described as smelling of alcohol and slurring his words, and failed a roadside breathalyser test.

After being arrested and taken to police headquarters, he blew a reading of 84.

The legal limit is 35.

During an interview, the defendant answered ‘no comment’ to all questions.

A probation report said that Smiechura was part-owner of a food business and had been on the island for 12 years, originally being from Poland.

He told probation that he had struggled to build up the business after Covid and at the time of the crash, had been going through a difficult time in his personal life.

Smiechura told probation that he had drunk a few beers after finishing work and then decided to drive home.

The report concluded that community service would be difficult due to the defendant’s long working hours and that probation supervision was not necessary as he had no previous convictions.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers said: ‘Mr Smiechura is the epitome of remorse in my submission.

‘This was something of a cry for help, though not done on purpose. He made a bad judgement.’

Mr Rodgers said that his client had been under a lot of stress and that there had been no further incidents since the offence was committed in July.

‘The ban will impact on his business as he does deliveries,’ said the advocate.

Magistrates chair Gill Eaton told the defendant: ‘If you’d just been an hour or two later the promenade could have been busier and we could have been looking at much more serious consequences.’

Smiechura was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £125 and will pay all amounts at a rate of £200 per month.