A LITHUANIAN driver who drunkenly crashed his lorry was sentenced less than 24 hours after the collision, thanks to a virtual court system.

Turlekas Kestutis crashed his lorry in Wrotham Road in Gravesend at around 4.15pm on Sunday (August 8) and was arrested after refusing to take a roadside breath test.

Officers took the 47-year-old to north Kent police station and took a breath sample, which showed he was more than three times over the legal limit, and he was charged with drink driving.

At 2.30pm the next day, Kestutis faced magistrates at Medway Magistrates’ Court via a video link from the police station in Northfleet, as part of the virtual court scheme.

Kestutis pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 84 days in prison as well as being banned from driving for three years.

The virtual court scheme was introduced last summer and is being piloted in Kent and London, and Inspector Bob Platt, who is based at north Kent station, praised it for swiftly bringing Kestutis to justice.

Mr Platt, who leads the scheme at the station, said: “The project uses high definition video conferencing technology to link police stations to magistrates courts, removing the need to transport the prisoner.

“This is supported by an electronic case file system that allows criminal justice agencies to share information much quicker than was previously possible.  “The pilot has seen cases that would normally take two weeks to reach court heard within two or three hours, as in this instance.”

Nobody was injured in the crash in Wrotham Road, which involved one other vehicle.