Laughing drunk driver told Garda: 'I only had one beer'
Waterford Courthouse
A man caught drunk driving in Tramore laughed when stopped by Garda and said: "I only had one beer."
Serhii Buhti (50), of Gallwey's Hill, Tramore, was stopped by Garda Eimear Hogan on the Waterford Road, Tramore, on the evening of December 21, 2025, after seeing his vehicle swerving. When talking to him, she noted that his eyes were glazed and his breath smelled of alcohol. When Garda Hogan cautioned him, he laughed and said: "I only had one beer."
Buhtii gave his Ukrainian driving licence to Garda Hogan. She asked if he could understand English, to which he said yes. She used Google translate in their interaction. At Waterford Garda Station, a breath test revealed he had 87 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly four times the legal limit.
At Waterford District Court, solicitor Derrick Connors questioned the validity of the arrest made by Garda Hogan, arguing that Buhtii had a limited grasp of English that wasn't properly accommodated for. Judge Catriona Murray rejected the proposition made by Mr. Connors and deemed the arrest valid. Buhtii was fined €200 and disqualified from driving for three years.
