Drink-driver thought it would be okay to leave supermarket with £136 of beer he had not paid for

A drink driver thought it was okay to take £136 worth of beer outside of a supermarket while waiting for his wife to arrive with a bank card.Irmantas Zukauskas, 47, of Sandpiper Way in Lynn, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he admitted the theft as well as driving above the specified limit.Prosecutor Holly Postle said that on December 23 at 3pm at Sainsbury’s on Lynn’s Hardwick Industrial Estate, Zukauskas had left the supermarket with £136 of beer in his trolley.

He was stopped by the store’s security guard and he then left the scene in his BMW, but was stopped on Hardwick Road shortly after by police.Zukauskas was arrested for the theft and was asked by officers to complete a roadside breath test after they could smell alcohol on him.A reading came back of 54mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, the legal limit to drive is 35mcg.In mitigation, Andrew Cogan explained that Zukauskas thought it would be okay to wait outside the supermarket with the beer until his wife arrived with a bank card.“The question is about his understanding of the English shopping system. He waited for his wife to come along with a credit card,” said Mr Cogan.“He walked past the security guard and then stopped outside for a cigarette and was approached by that guard.“He dumped his trolley and walked off. The goods were recovered in a sellable state.”The solicitor explained that Zukauskas drove off from the scene after having an argument with his wife.“His work will cease when you disqualify him from driving,” said Mr Cogan.Magistrates disqualified Zukauskas from driving for 12 months and ordered that he paid a fine of £400.Along with this, Zukauskas was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £160 and court costs of £105.