A MOTORIST who drove his Jaguar while more than twice the legal alcohol limit – and with one flat tyre – has been fined and banned from the roads.
Merlyn Roger Evans (54) admitted the two offences at the earliest opportunity and was sentenced in the Magistrate’s Court on Monday 11 March.
Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said that on the evening of 7 January, the police received reports that Evans was driving his car along Havre des Pas with a flat near-side front tyre.
They went to his home just before 7pm and carried out a breath test, which gave a reading of 78 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal maximum is 35 micrograms.
Advocate Lucy Marks, defending, pointed out that Evans had no previous relevant convictions and had immediately pleaded guilty.
She added that he had had to drive to his former partner’s house to collect his dogs after she asked him to take them back.
“This was unplanned,” she said. “He was concerned for them and didn’t manage to come up with an alternative way of collecting them.
“He is truly mortified that he is here in court and he is ashamed of himself.”
Evans was fined £400, sentenced to 70 hours of community service and banned from driving for 18 months. He will have to retake his test when the ban has elapsed.
Relief Magistrate Peter Harris said: “I very much hope we don’t see you back here again.”
