Wicklow man appears in court over alleged drink-driving offence
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow man appeared before Bray District Court for a contested hearing in relation to an alleged drink-driving offence.
Ivan Zula (47), of Barleyfield, Wicklow Hills, Co Wicklow, is charged with one count of driving a vehicle while exceeding the legal alcohol limit.
The court heard that it is alleged that on Friday, July 4, at approximately 5pm, gardaí observed a silver Toyota Yaris driving towards their patrol jeep before taking a sharp turn at Ballyduff Upper, Ashford.
The accused was subsequently pulled over and spoken to by gardaí. A garda told the court that Mr Zula produced a Romanian driving licence and that a strong smell of alcohol was detected at the time.
The garda unsealed a mouthpiece and asked the defendant to blow into a roadside breathalyser device. Mr Zula failed the test and was then brought to Wicklow Garda Station.
A translator was called, and Mr Zula was placed under observation from 7.10pm to 7.30pm. He was then brought to the doctor’s room, where a breath test was carried out using an evidential breath-testing machine. The court was informed that the garda conducting the test was a trained operator of the equipment.
Mr Zula provided two samples and was found to have 53 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, almost three times the legal limit.
Solicitor for the defence, Patrick McNiece, questioned whether the garda was able to hold a conversation with the accused due to his limited English. The garda stated that Mr Zula appeared to understand the process and that an interpreter was present.
The case was adjourned after Mr McNiece raised an issue regarding whether the defendant had been properly cautioned.
The matter was adjourned until January 5, 2026, for finalisation.