Romanian drink-driver facing jail for killing a man in 'horrific' pre-Christmas crash tells court he wants to be deported after serving time

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 12:12 EDT, 28 September 2026 | Updated: 12:15 EDT, 28 September 2026 A drink-driver who killed a man and seriously injured his victim’s brother in a ‘horrific’ Christmas Eve crash has told a court he wants to be deported after serving his jail term.Nicolae Brica, 48, was almost twice the legal limit for driving when his Renault Megane mounted a pavement in Norwich and hit the two men.Residents described hearing screams before finding Thomas Plane, 28, trapped beneath the vehicle.He was pronounced dead at the scene, while his brother James was taken to hospital.Brica, who lives in the city, had previously admitted driving with excess alcohol, causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving when he appeared at Norwich Crown Court.Sentencing was adjourned until next month but the defendant, a Romanian who had been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, told Judge Katharine Moore that he ‘would like to be deported after my sentence’. Romanian Nicolae Braca, 48, was almost twice the legal limit for driving when his Renault Megane mounted a pavement in Norwich and hit the two brothersAnother judge told him during a previous hearing in July that a custodial sentence was ‘inevitable’ for the ‘extremely serious offences’ and he could face six years’ imprisonment.Brica, who used an interpreter at the hearings, was driving in the Norfolk city when he struck the brothers at 1.30am on December 24 last year.An inquest that formally opened in March but was adjourned to a later date heard that people living in the area heard screaming moments later.One described the scene as ‘horrific’ and added Thomas Plane, who is understood to have been at a party earlier with his brother, was left pinned beneath the car and ‘all you could see were his fingertips’.Emergency services including ambulance and fire crews raced to the area but were unable to save Mr Plane, of Stockport, Greater Manchester.His provisional cause of death was given at the inquest as chest injuries sustained in the collision. Police officers check the underside of the car as it is taken away from the scene of the accident in NorwichMr Plane’s brother was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University NHS Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.Factory worker Brica, who was arrested at the scene, was found to have 68mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.The road remained closed for several hours while investigations were carried out. Floral tributes were laid there in the following days.The defendant, who was in court on Thursday, was given bail at an earlier hearing with conditions including not possessing or applying for international travel documents and not driving any vehicle. He was told he will be sentenced on October 8.