Hungarian Lorry Driver drove 10 miles wrong way down Motorway after drinking Plum Brandy and Beer

[The Grand Eunuch Cheng Ho]

Pal Korbely caught on CCTV hurtling along northbound carriageway of M6

Drank 51% proof plum brandy while watching the Grand Prix on TV

Only brought to a halt when three lorry drivers bravely formed a roadblock

50-year-old jailed for eight months after admitting dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol


This heart-stopping CCTV footage shows a Hungarian lorry driver hurtling the wrong way down a busy motorway for ten miles after downing homemade plum brandy and beer.

Pal Korbely, 50, caused chaos on the M6 after travelling south on the northbound carriageway, narrowly missing dozens of vehicles.

He only came to a halt when three lorry drivers forced him to brake by bravely forming a roadblock.


Crazy: This CCTV footage shows Hungarian lorry driver Pal Korbely careering the wrong way along the M6 after drinking homemade plum brandy and beer


'Miracle no one was killed': Korbely travelled down the opposite carriageway for ten miles after leaving Hilton Park Services near Cannock, Staffs, by the wrong slip-road at 10.30pm

Korbely set off in his lorry after drinking 51 per cent proof homemade plum brandy which he downed while watching the Grand Prix on TV.

Dozens of terrified drivers, including one driving a petrol tanker, were forced to swerve to avoid the 60ft-long vehicle as it sped towards oncoming traffic at 10.30pm on Saturday, July 8.

Terrifying CCTV footage captured on motorway cameras shows the moment three lorry drivers force the married father-of-two to brake by driving their vehicles two abreast along the carriageway in a rolling roadblock.

When officers breathalysed Korbely, he had 81mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, almost two-and-a-half times the legal limit of 35mcg.

He told officers he had downed super-strength homemade plum brandy and beer in the afternoon as he and two other drivers watched the Grand Prix qualifying races.


'Dangerous to the max': Korbely was jailed for eight months after admitting dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol at Birmingham Crown Court


Terror ride: Dozens of terrified drivers, including one driving a petrol tanker, were forced to swerve to avoid the 60ft-long vehicle as it sped towards oncoming traffic

Today, he was jailed for eight months after admitting dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol at Birmingham Crown Court.

Sentencing him, Judge Paul Farrer QC told Korbely: 'You described your driving as being dangerous to the max. And you were right.

'This was a prolonged course of dangerous driving which presented danger to innocent motorists at the highest level.

'You spent the afternoon drinking and then for reasons that will never be clear you got into your lorry and you drove for about ten miles at night the wrong way up the M6 motorway with your headlights off.

'It’s little more than good fortune nobody was killed or seriously injured. The public have reason to be grateful for the actions of the the lorry drivers whose actions and bravery caused you to stop.

'You have reason to be grateful to them. Your position could have been much worse.'

He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for three years and told he would need to pass an extended driving test before he can apply for a new one.

Korbely’s lorry left Hilton Park Services near Cannock, Staffs, by the wrong slip-road at 10.30pm.


Near miss: The court heard warning signs on all of the gantries along the M6 flashed up telling drivers of the oncoming lorry and many were forced to swerve to avoid colliding with the huge juggernaut

He careered between the slow and middle lane for ten miles until he reached junction 10 for Walsall, where two lorry drivers forced him to skid to a halt.

The three lorry drivers who brought Korbely to a halt saw his oncoming truck and instinctively blocked him with each one getting into a different lane.

Police were alerted to Korbely’s dangerous driving by panicked motorists - who took refuge on the hard shoulder and called 999.


Korbely only came to a halt when three lorry drivers forced him to brake by bravely forming a roadblock

Phillip Bradley, prosecuting, told the court: 'Shortly before 10.30pm on July 7 members of the public contacted the police to complain that an HGV was driving south on the northbound carriageway of the M6.

'That vehicle was being driven by this man who was drunk. He told police that he parked up on Hilton Park Services earlier that afternoon where he was to take 40 hours or more rest before resuming work.

'That day he had come over from the continent and delivered goods to Range Rover before collecting glass which he was to deliver to Scotland the following week.

'He watched the grand prix with two other drivers by placing a satellite dish on the top of his cab. What this man did was to drink while they were in the cab.

'He told police had was drinking homemade plum brandy that was 51 percent proof and some beers. He told police he had no recollection of leaving the services or of driving his vehicle at all.

'He caused cars, lorries, a tanker and other vehicles to take evasive action. This was [not] being driven at excessive speed but neither was it being driven at a crawl.'


Jailed: Korbely (above) was drinking in the afternoon as he and two other drivers watched the Grand Prix qualifying races

Motorist Collette Henry, 23, of Codsall, West Mids, said after the incident: 'I could not believe what I was seeing. The juggernaut was just coming towards me and did not have any lights on.

'I moved lanes and then pulled up to call the police. It is just something you do not expect to see.'

Speaking after the hearing, Sergeant Robin Barker, from the Central Motorway Police Group, said it was a 'miracle' Korbely did not kill someone.

He added: 'Korbely drove along one of the busiest stretches of the motorway network in Britain, into oncoming traffic, forcing dozens of innocent motorists to swerve out of the way.

'It is a miracle that his dangerous driving did not result in a serious accident, causing injury or even death.

'He knowingly got into this vehicle whilst twice the legal drink drive limit, which is dangerous in itself, before he even started driving the wrong way along the motorway.

'The co-ordinated efforts of Highways Agency staff and emergency services, and the quick-thinking of the passing motorists, means that we are not talking about a more serious incident.

'Hopefully Korbely’s sentence will serve as a warning to others to think before they act in such an irresponsible fashion.'

Gary Cook, mitigating, said: 'He fully recognises the risk he placed on himself and others.

'He’s married with children and of positive good character. He’s never had so much as a speeding ticket in his life.

'An HGV driver for 30 years, his actions were wholly out of character. He would never behave like this again.'

Judge Farrer also praised the actions of lorry drivers Christian Wilenski and Simon Cotton, who were two of the three men who barricaded Korbely and stopped him from carrying on down the motorway.

Awarding them £250 each from public funds, he said: 'They are to be commended for their fast thinking and brave actions that may have saved lives.'

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