A 40-year-old man who appeared before a court in Belgium for repeated drunk driving was released on Monday, after proving that he suffers from a very unusual syndrome known as “autobrewery”.
His lawyer, Anse Ghesquiere, confirmed to AFP the information published in the Belgian press.
Known as the syndrome “self-brewery” Or the “drunkenness” (“auto-brewery” in English), this condition causes the production of endogenous ethanol by the digestive system when foods rich in carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes or beans, are consumed.
According to the lawyer, scientists consider that it is an underdiagnosed syndrome, since only about twenty people around the world officially suffer from it.
His client, whose identity was not specified, was able to prove that he was a carrier, after having three doctors intervene as part of the judicial procedure, he stressed.
The court referred to “a case of force majeure”.“We are happy with this ruling, but it is not yet final,” Ghesquiere commented, specifying that the prosecution could appeal.
The man underwent a breathalyzer test in April 2022, when he gave a rate of 0.91 mg per liter of expired air. A month later, he underwent another control and gave 0.71 mg/l, while the legal limit in Belgium stands at 0.22 mg/l.
The driver, who had already been sentenced in 2019 to a fine and a temporary suspension of his driving license for the same reasons, pleaded not guilty, stating that he had not been drinking. Apparently, he was not aware of the syndrome he suffered from.
Now, he follows a special diet with low carbohydrate content, which has helped him prevent the syndrome from triggering.
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Source: Gestion
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