A DROWSY motorist crashed his car into a wall following a night in which he slept for two hours, the Magistrate’s Court has heard.
Grant Barry Felix Hepburn (30) this week admitted the charge of careless driving and also admitted to committing a separate speeding offence. He was fined a total of £1,700.
The first incident happened on 17 August at 6.20pm. St Martin Centenier Gordon Jones said Hepburn had been driving a blue Peugeot along Grande Route de Rozel, in St Martin, when he crashed into a wall on the opposite side of the road.
The bonnet and bumper of the car were damaged. Mr Jones said: ‘He was dazed but uninjured. He was taken to accident and emergency as a precaution.’
Less than a month later, at 9.05pm on 3 September, he was stopped while driving a black BMW at 50mph along Grande Route de St Clement – a road with a 30mph speed limit.
Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, said that Hepburn suffered health conditions, for which he took medication.
One of the side-effects of the medication, the lawyer told the court, was insomnia and Advocate Mière explained that his client had had little sleep the night before he crashed.
He had also just completed a ten-hour shift at his job as a stonemason.
He had parked his car to get some sleep before attempting to drive home, but had been told to move on, the court was told.
Turning to the speeding charge, Advocate Mière said: ‘He accepts that it was idiotic to do that.’
The lawyer added: ‘This is the first time he has been before this court or indeed any court.’
Assistant Magistrate Sarah Fitz gave Hepburn credit for his guilty pleas and said: ‘There was no alcohol involved.’
She decided not to ban him from getting behind the wheel and instead fined him £1,400 for careless driving and £300 for speeding. She also endorsed his licence for three years and told him: ‘Be very careful in future.’
