BUILDER WHO WAS “TOO DRUNK TO STAND” JAILED FOR KILLING MOTORWAY WORKER

CRAWLEY, England — A builder who was so intoxicated that he struggled to stand after crashing his van into a motorway work zone has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a highways worker.

Vilius Domarkas, 38, had just returned to Britain from Lithuania, where he had undergone rehabilitation for an alcohol problem, when he drove onto the M23 and struck 65-year-old Anthony “Tony” Howe.

Howe was working inside a coned-off area of the motorway near Junction 9 southbound when he was hit shortly after stepping out of his work vehicle. He died at the scene.

HE HAD BEEN OUT OF HIS VAN FOR JUST SEVEN SECONDS

Lewes Crown Court heard that Howe had been outside his vehicle for only around seven seconds when Domarkas’ Citroen Relay van entered the restricted roadworks area.

The van had reportedly been seen traveling erratically and drifting between lanes before the collision.

After hitting Howe, Domarkas continued driving for approximately 500 meters before the vehicle stopped. Prosecutor Naomi Edwards told the court that an automatic fuel-cutoff system had been triggered by damage caused in the crash.

Domarkas then called 999.

But prosecutors said he told emergency services only that his windscreen had been damaged and claimed he did not know how it had happened.

When police arrived, his speech was slurred and he was so unsteady that he fell over.

THREE TO FOUR TIMES OVER THE LEGAL ALCOHOL LIMIT

A blood sample taken approximately four hours after the crash showed 221 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

The legal limit in England and Wales is 80 microgrammes per 100 milliliters.

Back calculations presented in court indicated that Domarkas’ alcohol level at the time of the collision was likely between three and four times the legal limit.

He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

During sentencing, Judge Martin Huseyin criticized Domarkas for driving while severely intoxicated.

“You were so drunk that you didn’t realise that you had hit a person,” the judge said.

He described it as “truly shocking” that Domarkas had considered himself capable of driving on a motorway when he was too intoxicated to stand properly.

“TONY WAS A GENTLE GIANT”

For Howe’s family, the crash ended the life of a man they described as loving, caring and full of personality.

His partner, Lilian Bonney, delivered a victim impact statement to the court.

“My entire world was ripped apart when Tony was killed in a road traffic collision,” she said.

She described Howe as an “amazing partner” and a “gentle giant” who could make people laugh with his cheeky personality.

Bonney also told the court that she had struggled to sleep since his death and often cried herself to sleep.

“His future had been taken away in the cruellest way,” she said.

DOMARKAS HAD JUST RETURNED FROM REHAB

The court heard that Domarkas had recently separated from his wife and had been undergoing rehabilitation for his drinking problem in Lithuania.

He flew back to the UK from Lithuania shortly before the fatal crash.

His defense lawyer, Andrew Bullivant, said Domarkas was a father of two and was “genuinely remorseful.”

The lawyer said the defendant had informed the Home Office that he intended to return to Lithuania after completing his sentence.

He also suggested that the breakdown of Domarkas’ marriage may have contributed to his decision to drink before the crash.

10 YEARS IN PRISON

Domarkas was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He was also disqualified from driving for 16 years and eight months, and the court ordered that his van be forfeited.

The case has highlighted the extraordinary risks faced by road workers operating close to live motorway traffic.

For Anthony Howe’s loved ones, however, the court proceedings cannot undo what happened.

A man who had gone to work on the M23 that morning never returned home.

And for his partner and family, the loss of the man they knew as Tony will continue long after the sentence has been served.