A SERIAL drink driver who ignored a driving ban has kept his freedom but has been ordered off the roads for more than seven years.

Police caught Marcen Adam Kotlenski at the wheel just three months into a three-year driving ban, York Magistrates Court heard.

He was also over the drink-drive limit, the third time he had been caught drink driving in three years, said Martin Butterworth, prosecuting.

Kotlenski, 34, of Alma Terrace, Selby, pleaded guilty to drink driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and failure to attend court.

Magistrates made him subject to a 12-month community order with 10 days’ rehabilitative activities and 200 hours’ unpaid work.

They banned him from driving for 91 months, or seven years and seven months, from the date of the sentencing hearing.

Kotlenski was first caught drink driving in 2019.

On January 31 this year, he was again over the drink drive limit when police stopped him in a Peugeot 407 on Flaxley Road, Selby. On February 17, he was banned from driving for three years after admitting drink driving and fined.

In the early hours of May 28, he was again driving.

Mr Butterworth said police spotted him “travelling at speed” in the Peugeot in Selby and a check revealed the car was uninsured.

They caught up with it in Alma Terrace, outside Kotlenski’s home. He failed a breath test by the roadside and was taken to Fulford Road Police Station where he was breathalysed.

He gave a reading of 47 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Charged and bailed, he failed to attend York Magistrates Court for his first hearing.

For him, Adam Henry said he had got his dates mixed up. He had had a “number of appointments” with his GP as well as the court date.

“He is a vulnerable individual with limited support really within the community who has underlying issues that need to be addressed and needs assistance with,” said Mr Henry.

Kotlenski had been in the UK for nine years and drinking had not caused him difficulties until three years ago.

His problems had began when he lost his job in 2019. He had struggled to cope with the change in his life and the resulting loss of contact with other people as he had no family or friends in the UK.

He was now on medication for depression and was undergoing assessment for mental health issues.

When a probation officer had interviewed him to prepare a pre-sentence report, which was read by the magistrates before they passed sentence, Kotlenski had not accepted he had a drink problem as such, said the defence solicitor.

He added: “It appears alcohol might be used by Mr Kotlenski as a crutch potentially to deal with his ongoing depression and mental health concerns.”