A London Stock Exchange worker caught driving his BMW on the wrong side of the road while drunk has been banned from the road for a year.
Hamidreza Mortazavi, 31, was spotted by police as he drove erratically in Pont Street, Knightsbridge, in the early hours of July 8 this year.
When breathalysed, he had 57 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, Westminster magistrates’ court heard.
Mortazavi has worked as a risk software developer at the London Stock Exchange since May this year.
He received a degree and a Masters from King’s College London before going on to gain a Masters in computer software from Oxford University in 2015.
Prosecutor Edward Cohen told the court that Mortazavi was pulled over by police at around 4.10am.
“The defendant was driving his BMW on the wrong side of the road and went past an unmarked police car,” he said.
“He said he had one or two drinks a couple of hours ago.”
Mortazavi, who lives in Fulham, pleaded guilty to drink driving and was banned for a year as well as being ordered to pay a £580 fine.
“You no doubt got in your motor car thinking you were unfit to drive,” said District Judge Richard Blake.
“You could have killed someone and would have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life.”
