An undergraduate medical student at Downing College has had his driving licence suspended for 20 months by Cambridge’s magistrate court for drink driving in the city centre.

Ashley Smaje, 21, left a college party in the early morning of January 21, and described it as a moment of "complete idiocy" when he decided to drive his car, although already twice over the legal alcohol limit.

At around 2.30am Smaje drove along Mill Road through the city centre, and then "lost control of the car and spun it 180 degrees", as described by the prosecuting team. The breathalyser test conducted by the police revealed that he had 73 micrograms of alcohol in 100 mililitres of breath. The law prescribes a limit of 35 micrograms for driving purposes.

The student apologised for his conduct to the court, where he was accompanied by his father. “I can offer no excuse, just assure you I have never done this before and I will never do it again. I completely understand I was in the wrong and need to be punished”, he said to the presiding magistrate Dr. Christine Shaw.

Along with the 20 month driving disqualification, Smaje was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £85 court costs and a victim surcharge of £15.

In recent months, reported incidents of drunk driving have become a regular occurrence. Last December, a local Cambridge resident was banned from driving vehicles for a period of 12 months, but this excluded her scooter, classified as a bicycle, which she was caught driving whilst inebriated. Two weeks ago, a local plumber aged 23 crashed his girlfriend’s car whilst on the way to purchase more alcohol, having already drunk three bottles of wine. He received a cumulative order of a 42 month ban, plus community service and costs.