10 more motorists sentenced in court after drink drive crackdown in Northamptonshire over Christmas

Northamptonshire Police launched its annual, month-long drink and drug driving campaign over the festive period on December 1, 2024.

As part of the crackdown those caught driving over the legal limit will be publicly named on the Northamptonshire Police website and social media, and in this newspaper. This is a hard-line approach the force has taken over recent years.

Over the course of the 2024 Christmas campaign, officers arrested 134 drivers. Of those, 94 were on suspicion of driving while over the prescribed limit for alcohol, 39 while unfit through drugs and one on suspicion of drink and drug driving. A number have already appeared in court and some have been sentenced.

Northamptonshire Police is now releasing court results regarding those who were charged with drink driving as part of its annual winter campaign to tackle offending throughout the festive period.

Court results for those charged during the second week of the campaign (December 8-14):

• Arinze Chigbo Chukwudum, aged 36, of School Walk, Wellingborough, was disqualified from driving for 18 months, handed a £507 fine and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus £203 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 2. Chukwudum was arrested while driving a silver Honda Jazz car on the eastbound carriageway of the A45, near Earls Barton, at about 1.40am on Sunday, December 8, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 63 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms.
• Zoltan Gomora, aged 62, of Pickering Court, Corby, had his case adjourned after he pleaded not guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 2. Gomora was arrested after being stopped by police officers while driving a grey Vauxhall Vivaro van in Geddington Road, Corby, at about 9.05pm on Sunday, December 8. He was released on unconditional bail until Wednesday, March 12, when he will return to the same court to stand trial.
• Maxim Cernobrisov, aged 29, of South Avenue, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, was disqualified from driving for 20 months, handed a community order to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus £114 victim surcharge at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 2. Cernobrisov pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis following his arrest, and subsequent charge, while driving a grey Peugeot 208 car in Wilby Way, Wellingborough, at about 10.50pm on Sunday, December 8.
• Philip Mugurwa Bobvu, aged 41, of Windsor Road, Wellingborough, received an interim driving disqualification after he pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 2. Bobvu was arrested while driving a grey Vauxhall Corsa car at the A45 Billing Interchange near Earls Barton, at about 2.30am on Monday, December 9, and subsequently charged after providing an evidential reading of 154 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. His case was adjourned to Thursday, February 13, for pre-sentence reports. He was released on unconditional bail until his next court appearance.
• Alex Koech, aged 35, of Yewtree Court, Northampton, was disqualified from driving for 12 months, handed a £323 fine and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus £129 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 2. Koech was arrested while driving a grey Honda Civic car on Lumbertubs Way, Northampton, shortly before 5pm on Monday, December 9, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 50 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
• Reece Howe, aged 20, of Graveley Street, Rushden, was disqualified from driving for 17 months, handed a £360 fine and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus £144 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Friday, January 3. Howe was arrested while driving a maroon Mazda car in Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton, at about 2.20am on Thursday, December 12, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 62 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
• A 23-year-old woman from Wellingborough, was disqualified from driving for 18 months and fined £120 after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 6. She was arrested while driving a white Fiat 500 car in Dulley Avenue, Wellingborough, at about 4.30pm on Thursday, December 12, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 62 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The woman was also ordered to pay £85 costs and £112 victim surcharge. She was also fined £40 after she also pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly in a public place, while she received no further penalty for driving without insurance.
• Ionut Jianu, aged 36, of Millside Close, Northampton, was disqualified from driving for 12 months, handed a £350 fine and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus £140 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 6. Jianu was arrested while driving a white BMW car in Boughton Green Road, Northampton, at about 11.30pm on Friday, December 13, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 56 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
• Malkeet Singh, aged 21, of Adelaide Avenue, West Bromwich, was disqualified from driving for 17 months, handed a £120 fine and ordered to pay £96 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 6. Singh was arrested while driving a white Mercedes Sprinter van on the southbound M1, between J16 and 15a, at about 12.24am on Saturday, December 14, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 61 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
• Michael Simpson, aged 33, of Lower Hester Street, Northampton, was disqualified from driving for 20 months, handed a £461 fine and ordered to pay £85 court costs plus £184 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 7. Simpson was arrested while riding an orange VOI scooter in Abington Square, Northampton, at about 9.35pm on Saturday, December 14, and charged after providing an evidential reading of 85 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Northampton Magistrates’ Court has also issued an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Connor Carmichael, of no fixed address, after he failed to appear before the court on Monday, January 6, to face a charge of driving a motor vehicle when the alcohol level was above the limit. He was also charged with driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and driving with no insurance after being arrested in Eastbrook, Corby, at about 1.30am on Saturday, December 14.