In this case my client was a Spanish national whose first language was Spanish and whose English was at best adequate. The issue at his trial was his understanding of the process at the police station. For all motorists there are strict requirements and protections.

Mr G was stopped on a road in Surrey and arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. At the police station he was taken through the breath testing procedure, but because his English was inadequate police had to engage the services of an interpreter. This was done by telephone as these events took place early hours of the morning. The police officers themselves took little care to ensure that my client actually understood the process he was going through. He provided two samples of breath that were over the legal limit, and he was charged with drink driving. I obtained the recording from the police station and had that translated by a properly qualified interpreter. That revealed the interpreter used by police had not explained certain critical things accurately. As a result the court decided my client had been misled when providing his samples of breath and ruled the results inadmissible. He was found not guilty.