A Nottinghamshire Police officer from Ilkeston who was caught drink-driving with an open can of alcohol in his car was stopped for the same offence again on the morning he was due to appear in court.
Former police constable Jakub Lewandowski was arrested twice within a three-week period after being found over the legal alcohol limit while driving.
The 23-year-old later pleaded guilty to both offences and was handed a community order and a three-year driving ban at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on September 19.
Lewandowski, who joined Nottinghamshire Police in October 2022, resigned from the force on November 10. A misconduct hearing held at Nottinghamshire Police headquarters in Arnold on Monday, December 15, was told that he would have been dismissed without notice had he still been serving.
The hearing was told Lewandowski was off duty when he was stopped by police on Wollaton Road at 4.12am on August 31. Officers reported smelling alcohol on his breath and noticed an open can of Jack Daniels and cola inside his car.
He failed a roadside breath test, recording 90 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath — more than double the legal limit. He was arrested, charged and suspended from duty ahead of a scheduled court appearance.
However, on the morning he was due to attend court, Lewandowski was again stopped by police — this time by Derbyshire Police in Tunnicliffe Close, Ilkeston, at around 1.30am.
He was breathalysed and recorded 99 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. He was taken into custody and charged with a second drink-driving offence.
Lewandowski did not attend the misconduct hearing but admitted the allegations, which were found to amount to gross misconduct.
Presenting the case, Liz Briggs said the offences had a “particularly significant impact on public confidence”, especially as the force actively campaigns against drink-driving.
In a written statement read on his behalf, Lewandowski said he “sincerely regrets” his actions and described a period of personal difficulty, including bereavement and unstable accommodation.
“It was a period of psychological and emotional vulnerability that I didn’t have the tools to manage,” the statement said.
Concluding the hearing, temporary Chief Constable Steve Cooper said that had Lewandowski remained in the force, he would have been dismissed without notice. As a result, he will now be barred from working in policing for life.