Police footage shows moment drink driver stops on dual carriageway to take nap

05 February 2024 , 19:45

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Police footage shows moment drink driver stops on dual carriageway to take nap

A drink driver left police stunned after he pulled up in the middle of a dual carriageway - to take a nap.

Shocking bodycam footage shows an officer questioning sleepy Emmanuel Osei, 34, behind the wheel of his car. He felt tired so pulled up near a junction on the A1307 - before being spotted by a patrol car.

Police were on patrol at around 4.15am on January 28 when they spotted Osei's car near Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. Officers initially thought the car had broken down but pulled over to find the driver asleep with his seatbelt on and the engine running.

The A1307 has no hard shoulder at that location - meaning Osei had simply come to a halt in the left-hand lane. In the footage, a traffic officer can be heard saying: "You alright mate?" as he goes to see why Osei's Mercedes C220 is stationary in the middle of the road.

Police were on patrol at around 4.15am on January 28 when they spotted Osei's car near Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire Police/Triangle News)

"What's up sir?" he adds, before Osei mumbles an inaudible response. "You're parked and you're rested? In the middle of a dual carriageway?" the officer replies. He then asks if Osei has drunk alcohol, to which he admits: "Yes."

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The officer tells him: "You're in the middle of the road. This isn't a layby. You're in the middle of the road and this is a junction and you're just stopped here," Osei, of Huntingdon, Cambs, blew 47 at the roadside - 12 over the legal limit of 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath. He went on to give another reading of 42 during a breathalyser test in custody.

This grab released by police shows Emmanuel Osei in his car (Cambridgeshire Police/Triangle News)

At Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Monday, January 29, Osei was disqualified from driving for three years and six months after pleading guilty to drink driving. He must also carry out 120 hours of unpaid work within the next year.

PC Neil Game, from the road policing team at Cambridgeshire Police, said: "Osei put himself and other road users at huge risk, not only by drink driving but also stopping for a rest on a dual carriageway. There is absolutely no excuse for drink driving and if you are tired you should pull over in a layby or at a service station."

Joseph Gamp