 |
| Not A Fit Up: Tandon Leaving Court |
A respected entrepreneur awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List was caught by police over twice the drinks limit after returning to his luxury home with more alcohol.
Garage forecourt tycoon Balraj Tandon, 59, was so drunk he mistakenly triggered his own burglar alarm when leaving in his Mini Cooper, prompting officers to attend the £1.8m house.
Yesterday he was fined £200, with £85 costs, plus a £30 victim surcharge and disqualified from driving for 12 months - 10 months less than the guidelines recommend for such a high reading.
Tandon has previously said he was “absolutely overjoyed” when his MBE award for services to business and the community was announced.
He arrived in the UK as a Ugandan refugee in 1975 and said he was particularly thrilled because the award “came from the Queen,” adding: “We are royalists and we love her so much.”
The father-of-four admits he burst into tears on hearing of the honour.
 |
| Nicked In Driveway: Tandon's Luxury Home |
“Clearly this offence is completely out of character,” announced District Judge Julie Cooper at Croydon Magistrates Court. “I have to take into account your exceptional good character.
“Throughout your entire life you have exhibited a drive to help others and these actions are very much out of character, so I am stepping away from the guidelines.”
Tandon, of Fitzjames Avenue, Croydon - co-owner of the nationwide ‘Park & Shop’ franchise - pleaded guilty to driving with 89 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath on January 30.
The legal limit is 35.
Prosecutor Mr. Jason Seetal told the court it was 5pm when officers attended the address to reports of a burglar alarm going off.
“They noticed a Mini Cooper with the defendant inside and saw him stumbling out of the car so approached him and he fell backwards onto the boot of the vehicle.
“They noticed a strong smell of alcohol and as they tried to talk to the defendant he ignored the officers and tried to walk past them as they asked if he had been drinking.”
 |
| Driving Ban: Tandon |
Tandon claims due to the noisy burglar alarm and his ear wax condition he could not hear the officers and was not deliberately ignoring them.
His lawyer, Ms Williams, who refused to give her first name, told the court: “There are no aggravating features, but significant mitigating features.
“His sister very sadly has cancer of the oesophagus and he found out that day she had surgery and there was an infection and was very unwell.
“He arrived home alone and was very distressed and started drinking some alcohol and then made the very short drive to his local off-licence to buy more alcohol.
“He did not set the security alarm properly so the alarm went off.”
Tearful Tandon’s supporters packed the courtroom and Ms Williams added: “His whole community have come today and he feels he has let his community down and the police and the court down.
“He wants me to emphasise his own shame and the fact that he has stopped drinking since this.
“He is someone of exceptionally good character and runs fifty sites around the UK with his company model investing in young people and investing in their careers and starting out in business.
“It is a family business started by his parents and because he has sites around the UK the disqualification will have a significant impact.”
After working for his father at a single garage the family now have a business with a £200m annual turnover.
Tandon is proud of raising over £50,000 for cancer research by donating the 5p plastic bag charge his shops collect.
He is a trustee of charity the Friends of Baale Mane, founded in 2001 to combat the exploitation of girls’ labour in India and a trustee of Wandsworth’s Hindu Society Centre.
“What he has done is inexcusable and he has a determination never to be here again. This is wholly out of character,” said Ms Williams.
As he left the dock Tandon told the court: “I am very sorry.”
No comments:
Post a Comment