A Belgian man has been found not guilty of drink-driving because he has automatic brewing syndrome (ABS), an extremely rare condition in which the body produces alcohol, his lawyer announced.
Ansu Ghesquière said on Monday that in “another unfortunate coincidence” that her client worked at a brewery, three doctors who independently examined him confirmed he had ABS.
According to Belgian media, in the judgment the judge stressed that the defendant, who was not named in accordance with local judicial practice, had no symptoms of intoxication.
The Bruges Police Court, which acquitted the men, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Lisa Florin, a clinical biologist at Arizona’s Sint Lucas Hospital in Belgium, said people with ABS consume the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, but the effects are generally not felt as much.
People are not born with ABS, but they can develop it if they already have another gut-related disease. Patients may exhibit symptoms consistent with alcohol intoxication, such as slurred speech, stumbling, decreased motor function, dizziness, and belching.
