Belgium
Acquittal for driver with self-brewer’s syndrome
In Belgium, a driver was acquitted of drunk driving charges because he suffered from home brewer’s syndrome. photo
© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
Caught behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level of two, but a man from Belgium has a good explanation for it. He suffers from a rare syndrome. Now the man has been acquitted.
His body produces alcohol itself: a man probably suffering from the so-called home brewer’s syndrome Belgium has been acquitted of drunk driving charges. A court in the Belgian city of Bruges decided this on Monday, as the Belgian news agency Belga reported. The syndrome causes his body to convert carbohydrates into alcohol through fermentation in the intestines. A commissioned forensic doctor confirmed that the very rare syndrome most likely occurred in the Belgian.
According to the information, the 40-year-old was already convicted of drunk driving once in 2019, and in 2022 he was caught driving twice – with a blood alcohol level of 1.63 and 2.09.
In addition, the public prosecutor’s application to declare the man from Bruges unfit to drive for life was reportedly rejected. Although it was potentially dangerous for the defendant to drive under the influence of alcohol, he had now adopted a low-carbohydrate diet. In this way he ensures that his body no longer produces alcohol.
In addition, the defendant never showed any signs of intoxication and was therefore always fit to drive. However, the judge emphasized that the man should now be aware of his condition, it said. Through a controlled diet, he must ensure that he does not drive again under the influence of alcohol – unintentionally or not.