A motorist in Ireland who was arrested on two separate occasions within hours for drink driving has made headlines after it was revealed that he allegedly consumed his own urine while in police custody.
Michael Boyle, residing at 2 Meelin House, Meelin, Bandon, appeared in Bandon Court, pleading guilty to two counts of drink driving and failing to provide a breath, blood, or urine sample as requested by the police.
The court heard that the first incident occurred on June 24th, around 8:50 pm, when Detective Garda Dave Barrett noticed Boyle parking his white BMW in an unusual manner at Kevin O’Leary’s Circle K Station in Bandon. Det Gda Barrett observed that Boyle appeared disoriented, swayed, and seemed unsteady on his feet. Consequently, he was arrested and transported to Bandon Garda Station.
While in custody, Boyle reportedly refused to provide breath samples, as well as blood or urine samples. It was noted that he accused Det Gda Barrett of misconduct and stated that he had been given vodka instead of water. Shockingly, he was also seen urinating into his hands and consuming the urine.
Boyle, who has four previous convictions, including two for COVID-related offenses, was released from custody but was arrested again within an hour of his release. The second arrest took place around 1:05 am on June 25th when Garda Brian Blake observed Boyle’s car driving erratically. Boyle was arrested for a second time and taken to Bandon Garda Station.
During this incident, Boyle again refused to provide breath samples but eventually agreed to have a blood sample taken, which revealed a reading of 121 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
In court, Boyle’s solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, explained that the first incident was the result of prescribed medication Boyle was taking for an open wound, which, when combined with alcohol, led to his arrest. Taaffe noted that Boyle was distressed and aggrieved while at the police station but had since apologized to Det Gda Barrett.
Boyle, who hails from Armagh and is on full-time disability due to serious medical issues, faced sentencing from Judge James McNulty. The judge disqualified him from driving for four years for failing to provide a breath, blood, or urine sample during the first arrest on June 24th, concurrently convicting and fining him €100. Additionally, Boyle received another four-year driving ban for the drink-driving incident on June 25th, with this ban also set to run concurrently to the initial sentence. Again, he was convicted and fined €100, and his failure to provide a breath sample was taken into consideration during the sentencing.
