Blowout Driver Busted at Four Times Over Limit in Brighton
Tadhg Ryan, 36, didn’t just have a tipple — he was caught swerving with an eye-watering 145 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath. That’s more than four times the UK legal drink-drive limit. The culprit was caught red-handed outside McDonald’s at Brighton Marina on 10 December, with a three-year-old child buckled up in the back seat.
Ryan nodded off behind the wheel, triggering an urgent police response. He now faces charges of drink-driving and being dangerously drunk while responsible for a child.
Sussex Court Hands Down Severe Sentences
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 20 February, Ryan got a 30-month driving ban and a 12-month community order forcing him into an alcohol abstinence programme. On top of that, he was hit with court costs and a victim surcharge.
Ryan’s conviction is one of nine heavy sentences stemming from Sussex Police’s tough Christmas drink and drug-driving crackdown. Running from 1 December to 1 January, the blitz netted 279 arrests countywide — a brutal reminder of how many risk lives over the festive season.
Who Else Got Slapped? The Full Sussex Drink-Drive Hit List
- Tadhg Ryan, 36, Brighton Marina Village: 30 months ban, community order, alcohol programme, costs, surcharge.
- David Mutch, 46, Eastbourne: Driving ban, fines, costs, surcharge after guilty plea.
- John Brown, 35, Bognor Regis: Disqualified and fined for drink-driving.
- Daniel Shepherd, 33, Worthing: Driving ban and fine.
- Jack White, 29, Crawley: Fined and banned following guilty verdict.
- Lee Martin, 42, Hastings: Disqualified, fined, plus costs and surcharge.
- Connor Smith, 27, Chichester: Driving ban and fine.
- Michael Green, 51, Horsham: Disqualified and fined.
- Ryan Taylor, 39, Brighton: Ban, fine, and additional court costs.
Sussex Police: Don’t Drink and Drive – It’s Not Worth It
Sussex Police warn the message is clear: drink and drug-driving will not be tolerated. They vow to keep publicising sentences to hammer the point home.
Authorities urge all drivers to think before getting behind the wheel drunk or high. The deadly risks include causing injury or death, jail time, crushing fines, and a permanent criminal record.
This festive season crackdown is a stark warning: don’t gamble with lives on the road.
