Drink-driver sentenced after crashing into restaurant in Culcheth

Gareth Tinsley has now been sentenced more than six months on from the horror crash which reportedly caused around £60,000 worth of damage.

Emergency services rushed to Rokka Bar and Grill in Culcheth at around 9.35pm on Friday, February 9, following reports of a crash.

A silver Jaguar F-Pace had ploughed into the frontage of the Warrington Road restaurant, but thankfully no one was reported to be hurt.

A trail of destruction was left in its wake, with a lamppost being levelled and windows and an overhead canopy smashed at the Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant.

The scene was sealed off until a structural engineer deemed everything safe, with crews also checking for gas leaks.

A 31-year-old man from Warrington, the driver of the car, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink-driving, and taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

Gareth Tinsley, now aged 32 and of Warrington Road in Glazebury, was later charged with drink-driving.

He appeared before Warrington Magistrates’ Court recently, where he pleaded guilty to the charge, which revealed a test found no less than 136 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of his blood – in excess of the 80-milligram legal limit.

Magistrates handed him a fine of £1,423 and ordered him to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £85 and a statutory victim surcharge of £569.

In addition, he was disqualified from driving for 16 months.

Restaurant owner Gultekin Polat, who estimated the crash caused around £60,000 worth of damage, previously said: “We thought it was a bomb going off, the way it was making noise.

“I didn't see what happened, but after that I was shocked – everybody was shocked. We ran outside to help the people and check if they were ok.

“Two ladies left 20 seconds before who were sitting on that table where the window broke, and one of my staff went to the table and was clearing the glasses.

The scene of the crash at Rokka Bar and Grill in Culcheth

“She was a few seconds away from being hit. It was very lucky that nobody was injured.”

Gultekin said it was also very fortunate that a group of young people who had passed in front of the restaurant 13 seconds before the crash were not hurt.

He added: “There were four teenagers walking near the restaurant. If they had stopped walking, 13 seconds later the car would have crushed them easily, but they left.

“It was a busy restaurant, and we were lucky that customers left early on that Friday night.

“They came early, they ate early and they were gone, and there were only six people left and the staff working in the restaurant.”

After the incident, Rokka Bar and Grill posted on social media thanking customers for the outpouring of support that it received from the community with kind messages.

It wrote: “We are very, very lucky that no one within the restaurant was injured. All a bit shaken up, but thankfully unharmed.

The scene of the crash at Rokka Bar and Grill in Culcheth

“We would like to say thank you for the outpouring of support that we have received from the community with kind messages.

“We have been given the go-ahead to continue with business. Apart from the eyesore, we will be open and providing our service as normal. We are ready for service and to welcome you all through our doors.”

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, a Cheshire Police spokesman said: “A suspected drink-driver lost control of his vehicle and ploughed into the front of a busy restaurant, remarkably avoiding causing serious injury to anyone.

“More importantly, restaurant diners, staff and the teenagers walking past outside were very lucky to avoid being seriously injured, if not worse, in the collision.

“We will continue to tackle those who still feel it is acceptable to take the risk and ensure they are brought before the courts.

“We are glad no one was seriously injured and hope the restaurant gets back on its feet ASAP.”