Nathan Stanton Monks (25), La Chèvre Rue, Grouville, was also sentenced to 70 hours’ community service and nine months’ probation after admitting drink-driving, careless driving and being behind the wheel while uninsured.
Outlining the case in the Magistrate’s Court, police legal adviser Susie Sharpe said that at about 2.20 am on 24 March a police officer spoke to Monks in a town street and noticed he had been drinking.
A short time later the officer was in a patrol car when he saw an Audi jerk to a sudden stop at the traffic lights at Don Road. The officer saw that Monks was driving, so followed the car and stopped it at the junction of Mont Millais and Mont Pinel.
When breathalysed at police headquarters, the defendant gave a reading of 60 mcg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath. The legal limit if 35 mcg.
Advocate James Bell, defending, said that Monks was genuinely surprised by the alcohol reading. The lawyer said that the defendant also thought he was covered by his employer’s fleet insurance.
Outlining a separate offence, Miss Sharpe said that the police were called to Tower Road at 5 am on Sunday 25 February following reports of a crash.
Monks was found at the scene next to his severely damaged Toyota Avensis. A passenger in the car who sustained injury said that Monks was ‘driving like an idiot’ just before the accident.
The court heard that the defendant was ‘speeding and driving recklessly’ when he hit the kerb and lost control of his vehicle.
In sentencing, Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said that the defendant’s record on motoring matters was ‘pretty appalling’ and he needed to get to grips with insurance. ‘He needs to check, rather than assume, that he is insured,’ he said. Mr Harris added: ‘You were driving stupidly and someone could have been injured.’
