- Man lives with a condition where his body produces alcohol – called auto-brewery syndrome
- Was pulled over by police over alleged drink driving as he was over the alcohol limit
- Condition has since been diagnosed and three doctors have verified it, leading to escaping prosecution
A man in Belgium has escaped prosecution for alleged drink driving after he proved that he hadn’t been intoxicated when police stopped him as his body makes its own alcohol.
The unnamed 40-year-old man has auto-brewery syndrome, a rare condition that means his body produces alcohol.
Symptoms of the condition can present like someone who is intoxicated, such as slurred speech, a staggering gait and confusion. However, while the alcohol people with the condition produce is the same as that found in beer, they don’t experience the effects of it as much as if they had been drinking. People are not born with the condition but can develop it in later life if they experience certain other intestinal conditions.
The man has previously received a fine for driving under the influence in 2019, and when he was stopped by officers in 2022, he again produced a breath test result that was way over the legal limit in Belgium, according to the AFP news agency.
But after this latest interaction with the authorities the man learnt of his condition. Since then, three doctors have all confirmed he has auto-brewery syndrome.
Belgian media has reported that the judge said the man – who has not been named in line with local laws – did not experience any symptoms of intoxication.
The man is now free to continue about his daily life. And what does he do for a living? Well, he works full-time in, you’ve guessed it, a brewery.
